Author: Kinky

Criminal Psychology Ch298

Kinky7 Comments

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 298

“What’s with that expression?” the visitor who just arrived asked coldly.

Lin Chen, holding his phone, said to Xing Conglian, “You… are… great…”

“Disappointed, aren’t you? Thought it was Xing Conglian who came?” Huang Ze looked down at him from a higher position.

Lin Chen dusted himself off and stood up, sincerely answering, “Yes, I did.”

“…”

“So, I should apologize for disappointing you, shouldn’t I?” Huang Ze responded sarcastically.

“I accept your apology,” Lin Chen replied.

“…”

Huang Ze seemed to be silent for a while, probably out of annoyance.

Lin Chen looked at him for a moment, noticing that he was also on a call and hadn’t hung up yet.

The person on the other end of the phone loudly said “hello” a few times.

“What can I do for you, Inspector Huang?”

Lin Chen gave Huang Ze a way out.

Only then did Huang Ze’s expression lighten up a bit. “Someone is being a drama queen and insisted on speaking with you.”

Lin Chen took the phone handed over by Huang Ze, confused, “Hello, this is Lin Chen,” he said.

“Consultant Lin, is that you?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I… I’m Guiqiu… You know, Yan Guiqiu,” the person on the other end of the call said very familiarly.

Lin Chen glanced at Huang Ze, who seemed pleased with himself, while holding the phone as if it were a hot potato. Huang Ze mouthed what appeared to be: ‘serves you right’.

“Mr. Yan…”

“Just call me Guiqiu.”

“Guiqiu.” Lin Chen found he had no experience dealing with someone like Yan Guiqiu and his tone became noticeably cautious.

“Consultant Lin, you are too polite. You apologized to me, making me feel embarrassed.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Okay, I did…”

“You did what?”

“…”

Yan Guiqiu’s voice was so loud, and the rooftop was too quiet. Huang Ze kept a straight face, but it seemed like he was having a hard time not laughing.

“Guiqiu, what’s the reason for your call today?” Lin Chen asked in a coaxing manner.

“Ah, Consultant Lin! Right! I just wanted to tell you that there are so many good people in the world, and I’ve decided to become one!”

Yan Guiqiu spoke with a radiant spirit, which seemed effortless. But after thinking about it, Lin Chen realized that becoming a good person was indeed just a matter of mindset.

“Congratulations,” he said.

“Thank you!” Yan Guiqiu responded and hung up the call.

The call ended with a beep.

The purpose of Yan Guiqiu’s call was genuine, pure, and simple. Simply incredible.

Lin Chen slowly put down the phone, as if he were infected by this simplistic worldview.

He also glanced at Huang Ze and handed the phone back.

“What?” Huang Ze raised his eyebrows.

“Why are you here?” Lin Chen asked.

“That’s none of your business.”

“Is that so?”

Lin Chen looked at this person who was once considered a friend, then viewed as a mortal enemy, and now, they had a complicated relationship. He understood the intention behind Xing Conglian sending Huang Ze.

“There’s something I need to tell you about Huang Weiwei,’ he said.

The statement was brief.

After all, he had been contemplating the wording and how to present the truth to Huang Ze for years.

But he had never thought that he would reveal it at this point in such a simple and calm manner.

From start to finish, Huang Ze didn’t interrupt him; he only listened with his head down.

However, it seemed as if he was too stunned by the truth and had locked himself in another space, where one strong knock could shatter him into dust.

Lin Chen put his hands in his pockets and finally said, “This is the whole story. You have the right to know.”

After a while, Huang Ze slowly lifted his head.

Lin Chen had never seen such a complex look in his eyes—a mix of pain, shock, despair, guilt, pity, relief, and many other emotions—all converging into one of the most difficult moments in life.

Sorry, and, too late.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, Huang Ze looked like smoke that could be blown away by the wind, as if his soul had been torn apart.

Lin Chen didn’t look at Huang Ze again. Any words would seem barren. He walked past Huang Ze, wanting to leave and give Huang Ze some time alone, just as he often did before.

But as he put his hand on the iron gate, he suddenly turned back and spoke to him.

“Actually, I don’t understand.”

Huang Ze was motionless, as if he was a dead man who couldn’t hear his words.

So Lin Chen kept talking. This was probably the most Lin Chen had ever talked to Huang Ze in his life. But here on the rooftop, in this moment of complete honesty, he no longer treated Huang Ze as someone he needed to keep secrets from. They both needed to hear each other out.

“I understand why Weiwei did what she did, or at least, I thought I did. But in the past year, as I met so many people, I realized she was just the beginning. Whether it’s Fang Aizi or Xu Ran, or Song Shengsheng and Duan Wanshan, even the recent big vote. So many big and small people and events made me question at the end why people would sacrifice themselves for others?”

Huang Ze, of course, didn’t answer. Lin Chen continued to talk to the wind.

“One could argue this sacrifice is the function of high morals or a relentless struggle against evil, perhaps out of love or hate, or even supposedly, altruists are descendants of genes that humans have selected over time for the sake of the species. But now, I suddenly realize, none of this explains the most basic question: Why would they want to do this?”

Lin Chen was leaning on the door, with his back to Huang Ze, waiting for an answer.

“Lin Chen, you’re still fond of splitting hairs.”

Huang Ze finally recovers from his stupor; the wind carried his typical indifferent voice.

This was Huang Ze’s way of speaking, and Lin Chen knew it well. Huang Ze was telling him in his own twisted way: I’m fine. They, as they are, must also have strong resilience.

“Indeed.” Lin Chen conceded. “Then tell me, why did Weiwei choose to jump?”

“Because she wanted to save more people and didn’t want to see you troubled,” Huang Ze replied calmly yet painfully.

“Why would she want to save more people?” Lin Chen asks again.

“Because, she’s a good girl in our family.”

Lin Chen nodded, then shook his head. Huang Ze’s answer only covered a part of it.

He pulled open the iron gate and took a step out.

“Thank you.”

He faintly hears Huang Ze say this.

He waved his hand and finally didn’t look back.

……

The iron door on the rooftop slammed shut.

Lin Chen walked down the stairs, and the fluorescent lights emitted a cool glow.

With each step he descended, he felt a bit lighter. The long-term burden had suddenly been lifted, and it came so unexpectedly.

Perhaps everyone needed such a moment to muster up courage.

As Lin Chen walked around the corner to the next set of stairs, he saw quite a few people gathered.

There were the people from the previous guardhouse, unfamiliar police officers, and doctors probably ready to rush to the rooftop to rescue him.

Everyone was looking at their phones. The sound of WeChat group chats and Weibo refreshing filled the air.

“What’s going on?” Lin Chen snapped back to reality and asked.

After that, his phone rang on cue. The call was from Xing Conglian.

Lin Chen signaled everyone to go back to their own business. He moved to a quiet window and asked Xing Conglian, “Go ahead.”

“Are you alright?” Xing Conglian cut in.

“Not too good, but I can rally for a while.”

“Alright, then, I’ll keep it brief.”

Xing Conglian succinctly explained everything, while Lin Chen listened silently, no longer thinking about Huang Ze and all the people from his past.

Xing Conglian described the findings from the Mailin server, the response from the virologist, and their analysis, and when he heard about the innocent four white-collar workers who were killed in the noodle shop explosion, Lin Chen’s expression turned cold.

But whether it was the Dana Rainforest and Doctors Without Borders or the insurance company and Zhourui Pharmaceutical, when all the details came together, Lin Chen’s first reaction wasn’t fear.

He probably understood Huang Ze’s feelings on the rooftop now—a deep sense of shock.

Today, like every other day, was a very ordinary day.

Unlike his position on the rooftop, he was now facing the main entrance of the hospital.

Ambulances were flashing red lights, coming in and out. The white-clad medical staff were busier due to the sudden virus news, but everything was within control and not chaotic.

All departments had prepared in advance to handle mass panic. Major internet platforms and television stations were providing information about the Borna virus in various forms.

In the contingency plan that Su Fengzi wrote for Xing Conglian, a symptom of the virus that didn’t actually exist was included to distinguish between real patients and mass hysteria patients who believed they had been infected with the virus.

Of course, in such a context, there were rumors, distrust, and people fearing a possible large-scale poisoning or virus spread.

The situation seemed to return to the state before the big vote started, a delicate balance before the storm.

But Lin Chen knew it was almost over. Everything was almost over.

“Lin Chen.”

Xing Conglian called his name twice on the phone. Lin Chen turned his gaze away from the hospital entrance.

“What are you thinking about?” Xing Conglian asked.

Lin Chen was considering how to express his true feelings.

After Xing Conglian finished explaining the grand plan that had been disrupted, Lin Chen suddenly realized that it was actually the victims, whether it was Fang Zhiming or Fang Aizi, or Xu Ran, Song Shengsheng, Duan Wanshan, and Duan Yang…

Their silent resistance, like trickles merging into a sea, had torn an enemy far stronger than themselves to the state of madness.

That person would never expect that all the ordinary people he saw as ants and pawns, including those who have died, would eventually put the noose around his neck.

“I have a strange premonition now,” said Lin Chen.

“What kind of premonition?” Xing Conglian asked.

Lin Chen felt as if he had slept on the rooftop and had gone from an atheist to a complete believer.

“Although I don’t know why, no matter what happens, we will win,” he replied.

After saying that, Lin Chen hung up the call with Xing Conglian.

Someone was coming from the end of the corridor. It was a doctor.

Lin Chen held his phone and turned his head. The doctor took off his mask, looking tired but determined, and said, “The police captain asked me to come up and inform you that Shen Lian has been resuscitated, but she is still in critical condition, in the intensive care unit. Also, the neurology ward downstairs is having a conference call with Dana; you can go there.”

The smell of disinfectant hit him, and the sunlight streamed in from the window, making the doctor’s face bright and clean.

Lin Chen nodded, bowed in respect, and said, “Thank you.”

Kinky Thoughts:

Author really pulled a fast one there. I feel sorry for Huang Ze. The author really did him dirty. He was literally set up as the cannon fodder to be the catalyst to set up Lin Chen and Xing Conglian.

I was quite annoyed by his inexplicable actions, which could have easily been explained away if she just made him Lin Chen’s ex. Like it actually would make the story deeper—the death of Huang Weiwei caused the rift in their relationship, which led to the breakup.

I mean, reading the previous chapters, Huang Ze obviously harbored feelings for Lin Chen that teetered on hate because of what happened to his sister. When Lin Chen faked his death in the first arc, Huang Ze was incredibly relieved and happy to find out Lin Chen was still alive.

And to give an easy out, she made Huang Ze act irrationally by trying to kiss Lin Chen (out of nowhere, because WTF, that was never even developed) just to move the plot point of making Xing Conglian jealous and Lin Chen having the excuse to treat him like trash.

But my dude, Lin Chen, you literally withheld crucial information about HIS SISTER’S DEATH. Like how can you blame him for hating you and treating you awfully when you literally could have told him the truth about his sister, especially when you were directly involved in it (not by choice), irregardless of whether or not he would actually believe it. If you had told him before and he treated you badly, then things would be understandable. Yet you had held him in regard as a “friend” before and not told him—that’s just fucked up. That’s nice and all when you put “protecting her dignity and reputation”, but you know, the dead don’t care about that shit while the living suffer so that’s only self-serving.

Anyway, I had to get that out of my system. I hate it when danmei pulls this kind of trope.

Justice for Huang Ze! Fuck if you don’t want him, I’ll take him. Dude was brave enough to disarm a bomb, knowing it could blow him up. I can certainly blow…

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Full Server First Kill Ch29

Kinky5 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 29: Homeowners’ Meeting

Teest couldn’t quite hold back his smile.

He was standing at the entrance of the cave roasting a second deer; the first one had already turned to bones. The monster couple ate as if a storm had passed, and more than half of Teest’s stored seasonings were consumed in an instant.

Nol was assisting on the side. He ordered the deer bones to align themselves, and then he began to cut the meat. He wasn’t too surprised by the couple’s eating manners—a criminal policeman and a doctor were professions that eat during overtime as if they’re in a battle; one shouldn’t expect them to eat slowly and savor each bite.

Moreover, Dr. Zhu was now a wolfkin, so she naturally had a huge appetite. Compared to her barbaric counterpart, Dr. Zhu was eating quite gracefully.

While the two were eating, Nol briefly explained the current situation. From this world resembling a game, to the dragon’s nest, Ye Meng, and the elderly couple, to Witch Lynn in Whitebird City searching for her sister… The couple listened while eating, occasionally exchanging glances, but didn’t interrupt.

“I think I understand now.”

Having finished three deer legs, Dr. Zhu wiped her mouth and then spoke in a delicate manner. “Looking at it now, when Lao Luo and I woke up, we were inside this… um, instance.”

Officer Luo, with a vigor that didn’t match his appearance, tore at the deer meat, causing his cheeks to bulge. “As for how we got here, we don’t have any clues. We—”

“Wait a moment.” Nol took out a puppet head from his bag and placed it in the center of the cave.

“Let’s discuss the details with Lynn,” he said. “I tend to see things from a gaming perspective, and she can provide a different viewpoint.”

“A homeowners’ meeting, that’s great!” Officer Luo said cheerfully. “Miss Lynn has a good name, directly usable*. If we go out, should we also get Western names? …Romeo and Juliet?”

*Clarity: Her name is [Linen] (琳恩) which is Lynn with a Western context.

“They both died in the end,” Dr. Zhu said coldly. “I’ll go with Julie. Easy to remember.”

“Then I’ll be Rosen, even easier to remember*,” Officer Luo replied.

*Clarity: Their western names are quite cheeky. Taking his surname [Luo] (罗) to become Rosen (罗森) while her surname [Zhu] (朱) becomes Julie (朱利). It is also why Luo Ruilin thought of Romeo and Juliet first (same starting Chinese characters of their surnames).

What are they even competing about?

Teest reverted to his novice village mode, speaking less and observing with interest. Nol set up the puppet head and sat next to Teest. He placed two forks on his own plate and patted Teest’s shoulder reassuringly.

[I couldn’t explain earlier due to the chaos. If you don’t mind, I’ll introduce you to them formally.] He conveyed mentally. [But let’s not mention the “Mad Monk” thing first. Officer Luo’s occupation is quite special.]

Teest smiled, and instead of responding with his skill, he attached himself to Nol’s ear.

“Of course I don’t mind, honey.” Covering his lips with his palm, he whispered, “Whether it’s an introduction or anything else.”

A few steps away, Dr. Zhu—Julie’s wolf ears twitched, and her expression became puzzled for a moment.

‘…You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?’ Nol thought, torn between amusement and exasperation.

But he indeed felt relieved.

While explaining the situation to the neighbors, Nol kept glancing at Teest’s expression.

However, while his interactions with his neighbors were smooth and affectionate, being a native resident, Teest was bound to feel a sense of alienation. Whether treating Teest as a “friend” or a “dangerous person”, Nol did not want this to create a rift between them.

…..

Upon hearing that two more neighbors were found, Witch Lynn, who was on her journey, quickly found a forest to hide in, preparing for a magical video conference. Nol and Elf Rosen cast various isolation spells at the cave entrance, tentatively setting up the conference room.

The first homeowners’ meeting of the Joy Garden Tahe Community officially began, with the outsider guest Teest included.

“Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?”

Above the small puppet skull, the ghostly image of Witch Lynn appeared, hovering mid-air.

“We can hear you. We can hear you,” Rosen hurriedly responded. “I’m Luo Ruilin, and that’s my wife over there.”

Lynn looked at Julie, remaining silent for a good half-minute. When she spoke again, her tone was very natural. “Ah, Officer Luo. Do you two remember anything from before you arrived here?”

“It was the 31st, right? I’ll start.”

Elf Rosen sat up straight, stretching his neck to seem taller. “That day, Xiao Zhu and I were resting. We watched a movie at home, had some drinks, and then fell asleep—we slept for like ten hours. I found it strange that there were no work calls. When I opened my eyes, I saw a wolfkin, and it scared me nearly off the ground.”

Julie grinned. “He yelled at me, ‘Don’t move, put your hands up!’ …When he’s nervous, he always has his left shoulder up. I recognized him right away.”

Rosen cocked his head.

“Someone used to love saying they were 1.94 meters tall,” Dr. Zhu continued leisurely, pressing a paw on top of Officer Luo’s head. “I haven’t heard that for over a month. I kind of miss it.”

Nol couldn’t help but smile.

It seemed he didn’t have to worry too much about these two… As expected from professionals used to life and death situations, their emotional state was surprisingly stable given the bizarre events they faced.

“Speaking of the transmigration…”

After the jest, Julie’s voice grew solemn again. “Lao Luo is a heavy sleeper, and I’m a light sleeper. I woke up around midnight that night, and everything was normal then.”

“Later, as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a huge noise, like an explosion. But I was in a half-sleep state, maybe dreaming… When I woke up again, I was here.”

‘It seems like something did happen that night,’ Nol thought. It was a shame that the university student was killed by the dragon. He would have been most likely to stay up late.

“Our transformations into monsters, in terms of species, gender, and age, seem to have no pattern…” Lynn murmured somewhat disheartened, probably thinking of her sister, whose fate remained uncertain.

“No,” Rosen suddenly interjected.

Though Officer Luo now appeared petite and adorable, when he put on a stern face, he still exuded an authoritative demeanor.

“I know that Ye Meng. She’s academically excellent. The student surnamed Cui also attends the nation’s top music university. They both became dragon hatchlings; the elderly couple were kind and unassuming, with no remarkable characteristics, and they turned into slimes.”

“You’re a diligent mechanical engineer, so a puppet witch suits your characteristics; my wife is a general surgeon, skilled in surgeries… Meaning, she’s adept at dissecting flesh and organs. This matches with the wolfkin monster.”

“In my opinion, the monsters we turned into correlate with our personal traits.”

Dr. Zhu showed her scalpel-like claws in agreement. “Yes, Lao Luo is the most cunning in their team, so it’s only fitting he became a sly elf.”

“What about gender?” Lynn frowned, clearly contemplating.

Julie said calmly, “When the species isn’t even certain, for the ‘transformation pattern’, gender might be as insignificant as fur color.”

Lynn: “What you said makes sense, but it doesn’t explain Nol’s situation.”

Indeed.

Nol had been silent. As the former frail “Will-o’-wisp”, he seemed to be the only exception to this theory.

“Maybe I’ve been working overtime so much that I’ve become inconspicuous,” he said with self-deprecation as everyone turned to him.

Rosen: “Don’t be like that, brother. Maybe it means you’re exceptionally radiant, even having a glowing effect.”

“The pattern won’t disappear. You can try to find more people to confirm. Given the current circumstances, you two should talk about this ‘instance.” Teest cheerfully brought the conversation back. “What do you mean by ‘role-playing’?”

The couple fell silent. After a while, Rosen sighed. “We’ve been wandering around for over a month and found over a hundred traces of human habitation. Most are in caves; some have survived longer than others… some of them left records.”

He took out two things—an old book and a parchment scroll. The languages on the two documents were completely different.

Everyone gathered to see, and even Lynn’s phantom leaned in.

“I’ve highlighted data related to the ‘hunter’.” Rosen’s voice grew serious. “To figure out the situation, we’ve been investigating… You all can read this, right?”

The book was a popular novel published a century ago; the pages were tattered and filled with dark red handwriting in the blanks. Many words were damaged by time and water stains, making them hard to decipher.

Luckily, Rosen had marked the important parts, and everyone began to read those key records.

[…Day 82: The snow hasn’t stopped. We’re running low on food, and I have to hunt, but I can’t feel my feet. Henry said he saw a figure in the distance and has gone out alone. May the Goddess protect him.]

[…Day 97: Henry says he found a hunter’s cabin, but he can’t approach it, as if it’s cursed. We decide to wait for the hunter to leave and then seek his help. May the Goddess protect us.]

[…Day 105: The hunter doesn’t communicate with us and chased us away with a crossbow. My foot is severely infected. I need medicine, damn it.]

[…Day 117: Our plan worked. The hunter fell into our trap. The house is now ours. He had it coming, haha. I need to treat my foot.]

[…Day 118: The hunter is dead. We can’t find the house, his body disappeared. There’s nothing left.]

[…Day 119: Henry screamed at me, as if he didn’t recognize me. He chased me with a crossbow. My shoulder is injured; my foot hurts. I’m in pain everywhere. Why?]

[…Day 120: Why? Why? Why? I don’t understand.]

The diary stopped there.

Nol then unrolled a parchment covered with half-beastmen script. The dates were from over 70 years ago.

[June 16, 651: Found a man dressed as a hunter. He had been bitten by a bear and was unconscious. We couldn’t save him, but Holden was pleased, thinking it meant others were nearby.]

[June 17, 651: Holden hasn’t returned. Nina keeps asking where daddy is, and I can’t answer her. Holden has never been this late.]

[October 28, 651: Caught four ducks. We have food for a couple of days. Nina’s 12th birthday is coming up, and I want to prepare. Still no sign of Holden.]

[November 9, 651: Found Holden dressed as a hunter. He didn’t recognize me and even pointed his crossbow at our daughter. Oh God, what did we do to deserve this?]

[December 31, 652: It should have been a reunion. But Nina and I can only watch from afar. Nina only sees hatred in her father’s eyes and believes Holden betrayed us. I can’t explain it. How did we end up like this? A deer injured my rib. I hope I’ll be okay.]

[April 1, 653: My worst fear happened. Holden was seriously injured during a hunt. Nina discovered it but didn’t tell me. She left him there, saying she would take me to the cabin to recover.]

[April 2, 653: Nina went out and never returned.]

[April 3, 653: Nina doesn’t recognize me anymore.]

[April 4, 653: She shot me with a crossbow. I couldn’t dodge in time. My time is running out. Nina, my baby, she’s only 13. Who will celebrate her birthdays now?]

Inside the cave, all was silent except for the howling wind outside. Nol’s grip on the parchment tightened to the point of deforming it.

“I get it,” he murmured. “When the old hunter dies, the system chooses a new one from the trapped people. The new hunter loses all memories before becoming one, living and dying alone here.”

Teest, munching on a piece of deer meat, casually said, “Hmm, that’s quite tragic.”

“That’s our assumption too,” Rosen solemnly added. “The worst part is, no one can escape, whether there’s a hunter or not.”

‘No,’ Noel thought. ‘I should be able to leave.’

He had teamed up with Teest and even received a mission. Teaming up was one of the most solid bonds in the game. The system likely wouldn’t forcibly separate them.

But Officer Luo and Dr. Zhu were in danger. He had to take them with him.

Nol twitched the corner of his mouth, attempting to show a relaxed smile. “I said Teest is my friend, and he is. But there’s something I didn’t clarify—he’s a ‘player’ and is also a local of Tahe.”

“With a player here, I suggest trying to clear the level. When the mission ends, the sealed instance will automatically provide an exit… It’s our best chance.”

Assuming this instance is “normal.”

……

The evening sky blazed, and Crimson sat on a farmhouse roof, admiring the sunset.

For the past week, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual in the Alva caravan, and Jack hadn’t contacted him. Judging by the days, the Rizzi caravan was almost at its destination.

[Blood Gnome’s Trade] was a system skill, so it couldn’t be wrong. Could it be that those two people didn’t travel with the caravan but happened to move in the same direction?

…Or Jack might be withholding information from him.

Crimson scratched his face, recalling the route of the Rizzi caravan. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and the corner of his mouth curled up in a grin.

“Using the ‘Night of the Hunt’, right?” Crimson chuckled to himself. “How could I forget about that? How cunning.”

He jumped down from the roof, approaching a farmer who lay prostrate on the ground. Deep gashes covered the farmer’s body, and his shirt was soaked in blood. The man gasped for air, his eyes bloodshot and filled with tears as he looked at Crimson.

“Demon… you… demon…” he cursed weakly.

“God says to have mercy on the weak. Honestly, I didn’t want to kill your wife and kids—that’s not my style.” Crimson squatted down next to him. “But I have to level up.”

With that, he raised his dagger, driving it straight through the man’s head. Swiftly, he sliced his palm, letting his blood mix with that of the dead man.

“In exchange for a life, I want to know the status of the player ‘Jack’ in fourteen days,” Crimson announced loudly.

The blood stirred, and the blood gnome appeared again. It gazed at Crimson in confusion, unmoving.

Crimson’s smile faded slightly. “In fourteen days, is the player ‘Jack’ alive or dead?”

The blood gnome remained still. It sadly released the corpse, pointed to where its eyes would be, and shook its head. Before Crimson could ask again, it disintegrated back into the pool of blood.

The body lay still, not sinking.

…The blood gnome can’t see? It didn’t even take the price.

Can the System’s divination skill also be wrong?

With a swift motion, Crimson drew his dagger, standing up. Anger flashed across his face. “Such an interesting opponent, and that guy kept it from me—damn it!”

He quickly pulled out a communication crystal. “Did Jack recently ask you about the ‘Night of the Hunt’?”

“Yes, Lord Crimson. Lord Jack inquired about the current number of participants in the ‘Night of the Hunt’ and requested to use the instance.”

“How many are there?”

“Currently, there are four people in the instance. Two potential targets for interrogation, plus Lord Jack. The instance is full,” the other party responded cautiously.

“…Fuck.” Crimson crushed the communication crystal in frustration.

No matter, as long as those two were still alive, they would meet again. Crimson dusted off his clothes, stepping over the blood puddles to leave the village.

Behind him, the small village was silent, with an overpowering scent of blood in the air. Crows circled overhead, their coarse cries breaking the silence.

The setting sun gradually sank into the darkness.

Inside the “Night of the Hunt” instance.

“Why don’t you just confess? In this day and age, still playing the ‘loyalty’ card?”

Jack sat on a simple wooden chair, cheerfully looking at the man in front of him. “Tell me about your side—their professions, skills, and items, and I’ll let you go.”

Lying in front of Jack was a handsome young man, nearly naked; his body curled up from the cold, and his skin turned blue.

His neck and limbs were shackled with thick iron chains fastened to large boulders. The chains had chafed his skin to the point of bleeding. Older blood stains beneath him had turned nearly black.

He didn’t respond to Jack.

Jack clicked his tongue, spitting on the man. “I’m not patient, and I don’t want to dismember you again—be glad you didn’t choose a female avatar; I’m not interested in men.”

“But last night it was me; tomorrow it’ll be the shadow wolf. You won’t be able to move, and it’ll keep eating you. It loves playing with human entrails. Trust me, I can keep you locked here forever if I feel like it.”

“Bullshit… If killed by the shadow wolf, the mission would fail… Once failed… I can leave…”

Jack burst into laughter.

“Idiot, the mission requires you to survive for fourteen days. Just yesterday, I killed you five or six times. If you could leave, you would’ve by now.”

Knowing more than his adversary seemed to bring him particular joy. “It seems you good folks don’t know. Nowadays, instances have errors—only we know where those errors are hidden.”

The young man didn’t reply.

After waiting for a while and realizing the man’s breathing had stopped, Jack saw the man’s body frozen in pain, his eyes murky and dim.

He was dead.

“Tch, committing suicide after just one day? Boring.” Jack kicked the body. “I wanted to bet on how long it’d take for you to go mad.”

He stepped over the corpse and approached the door. As it closed, the pale body disappeared into the shadows.

Not far away, a massive shadow wolf was half-sitting on the ground, its eyes burning like red coals. It tilted its head, looking at Jack with confusion, seemingly not understanding what kind of creature he was.

“Move along. Don’t stare at your grandpa.” Jack whistled at it. “It’s hunting time, dumb dog.”

The shadow wolf stared at him for a moment longer, then turned and ran swiftly into the night.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Full Server First Kill Ch28

Kinky6 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 28: Role Playing

“I only know one Rebecca.”

Mr. Rizzi looked at Nol with an expression of surprise and confusion. “I have a sister named Rebecca. She went missing nearby when she was five… but that was over thirty years ago. Have you met her? Everyone says we look very alike.”

Yes, you two do resemble each other.

Nol’s lips moved slightly, and he finally said, “No, sir, we haven’t met her… I’m looking for someone else, sorry.”

Mr. Rizzi hummed in response without showing much disappointment. “No worries, I understand. This place is strange; people disappear from time to time. You should be careful.”

“How so?” Nol tried to sound relaxed.

“For instance, the Great Dragon Mountains in the north, where there’s only one moon at night… it’s quite eerie.”

Mr. Rizzi shuddered as he continued, “People say that those who go missing near there never return.”

“That sounds ominous,” Teest remarked, seizing the opportunity to change the subject. “Sir, dinner is approaching. Would you like to try some mutton?”

He knew the answer. Caravan owners often travel with private chefs and wouldn’t be interested in crudely prepared boiled meat in saltwater. But the question served as a good way to steer the conversation elsewhere.

As expected, Mr. Rizzi politely declined and quickly left.

……

Afterward, Teest observed a series of the lich’s daydreaming moments.

Nol furrowed his brows, lost in thought. He was so engrossed that occasionally he’d freeze, as if turned to stone.

Like now, Teest exhaled loudly, impatiently nudging Nol’s hand. Nol held a spoon full of soup, which had cooled down as he’d been lost in thought for two minutes.

“The information is scattered; there are too many possibilities,” Nol said after returning to his senses, sipping the now cold soup. “I have some theories, but…”

“Eat your food,” Teest interrupted. “No one’s rushing you. Find more clues before pondering. Isn’t that witch placing surveillance puppets everywhere? She’ll find new clues sooner or later.”

“True,” Nol replied, biting his spoon, making his voice muffled.

The security of Mr. Rizzi’s caravan was commendable. Over a week passed and the journey remained relatively peaceful. Nol’s daily routine was wake, work, eat, sleep, and occasionally experiment with spells for entertainment. He even started to feel like he was in a regular job.

After a few tries, Nol grasped the pattern of the [Fallen Death].

If the corpse he consumed was weaker than a lich, his attributes would barely increase, or not at all. Nol longed for the Dragon Tomb Garden. Perhaps once the black candle awakens, he could use the “Acquaintance Portal” to get some takeout from the neighbors there.

Yet the black candle remained dormant, leaving him wondering how long it might sleep.

Today, the caravan entered a vast forest. The birds were chirping, the flowers were fragrant, and the grass was as thick as a carpet. The frequent passage of caravans had formed a flat dirt road, making the carriage ride smoother.

Nol, engrossed in a history book, didn’t mind as Teest moved from across him to his side, leaning on his shoulder to nap. Teest’s silvery hair draped over Nol’s shoulder, looking quite picturesque.

Suddenly, Teest frowned, opening his eyes. “There’s a large creature nearby.”

Used to such occurrences, Nol casually cast an invisibility spell on him, saying, “Go ahead.”

Five minutes later, Teest returned with a small piece of fresh meat. “Here, meat from the Poisonous Monitor Lizard.”

Nol pondered for a moment and closed his book. “That’s the fourth time. Even for a forest, the density of large monsters seems unnatural.”

“It’s just a probe,” Teest nonchalantly replied. “The Eternal Church is probably looking for us. They’re not the type to sit still after losing something.”

Nol looked at him in resignation. “You knew and still went after the monsters?”

“Why refuse when they come to us? Besides, you can consume them.” Teest wrapped the meat casually, yawned, and leaned back on Nol’s shoulder. “They’ve likely used divination to pinpoint the Rizzi caravan. Ignoring these monsters won’t change the fact that they’ll eventually attack. Engaging them here would expose us even more.”

Nol suspected that Teest didn’t really care about staying hidden and probably wanted the church members to confront them. Regardless, considering his limited knowledge about this cult, Nol welcomed their eventual confrontation.

Perhaps this was the thrill of fishing. He calmly reopened his book, immersing himself in history once more.

In the dense forest in the distance, the burly Jack showed a smile.

Sure enough, something was suspicious about the Rizzi Caravan. If it was just an ordinary mercenary, it would be impossible to silently take down those monsters. He had been staking out for over a week and hadn’t even seen the opponent’s face.

Jack had no plans to contact Crimson.

The last time they faced those two, Crimson got nothing but beatings, and he himself had to bear the injuries. They were close to “that place”; he could act alone and cleverly use others to achieve his goal.

Perhaps when he got the candle back, Crimson would be the one assisting him.

Thinking of this, Jack pulled out a blank envelope. He scribbled something on it and lit it directly.

With a flash, the envelope dropped in front of Teest.

[Coordinates: 104, 32, 15; Help, hurry!]

Nol picked up the envelope. It was a special area request letter for players, which could be sent to other players within a kilometer.

He frowned at this, wondering who would waste such an item in a deserted forest area. Either there was a desperate player nearby or it was the work of the Eternal Church.

However, if this really was the work of the Eternal Church…

“It looks like those two attackers were probably players,” Teest said, seemingly unsurprised. “They treat the world as a game, have great power and immortality… You have to admit, it sounds like ‘demons’.”

Nol hummed in agreement. While the Temple of Life was eagerly looking for players, there was no reason for the Eternal Church to just watch. Last time, he and Teest’s performances were exceptional. Those two probably sensed the players in them and thus made their move.

“Let’s go together. Some save people, some animals catch animals.” Nol took out “The Complete Recipe Book”.

Teest laughed. “I like that idea.”

……

“When that guy shows up, I have to thank him.”

Arriving at the coordinates, Nol raised his eyebrows at the mushroom ring below him. “I was wondering how to find this copy, and he found it for us first.”

The circle of mushrooms glowed a strange ice blue, hidden deep in the grass, barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

An entrance to a hidden sub-dungeon, or a trap.

Nol smiled at Teest and stepped on it. Under Teest’s curious gaze, he raised his right hand, bending each finger back into his palm—

“Three, two…” The surrounding scene quickly twisted and distorted, as if an old oil painting was thrown into a washing machine. A fog rose, accompanied by a rumbling sound as if the world was collapsing; the warm air of the forest disappeared, and the surroundings became icy cold.

“…One.”

The fog dispersed, and the two stood in a snowy forest in deep winter.

The vibrant colors of late summer faded, and the broad-leaved trees around them turned into dense deciduous pines and firs, with an endless expanse of gray in between. Cold wind howled, snowflakes fluttered, and the snow swallowed their calves.

[You have entered a hidden area.]

[You have triggered a hidden dungeon quest: Night of the Hunt.]

[Achievement Conditions: Kill the white wolf or survive for fourteen days.]

[Task Reward: Given by NPC “Hunter”, specific reward depends on the Hunter’s favorability.]

[Failure Penalty: Cannot accept this quest again within 180 days.]

[※The number of people for this quest is limited to 1~4 players; there is no team requirement.]

“Ah-choo!” Teest’s nose and ears quickly turned red, and he hurriedly pulled a coat out of his old waist bag. Nature was very fair—no matter how high one stack their stats, humans would still freeze.

“This task is quite rare. It will randomly appear in this forest. We’re quite lucky.” Nol remained pale, and there was no white steam coming from his breath. “Let’s find the hunter’s cabin first. You need to warm up.”

On the way, Nol explained the basics of the quest to Teest.

The quest wasn’t complicated.

After the quest starts, the shadow wolf symbolizing disaster would wake up. The strength of the shadow wolf would adjust according to the level of the players present and was basically unbeatable. It would hunt players day and night, and players could only do two things—

“Kill the white wolf, and the shadow wolf will fall asleep. That white wolf is just an ordinary wild beast but will be hard to catch,” Nol said. “Or persist for fourteen days without dying, and the task will end automatically.”

“No wonder it’s called ‘Night of the Hunt’.” Teest wrapped himself up. “Either the shadow wolf hunts us, or we hunt the white wolf.” He ignored the “run till the end” option.

“Kind of,” Nol said. “The Eternalist who lured us might also be here. With the shadow wolf chasing us, the opposition only needs to trip us up. We need to be cautious.”

Teest sniffed in agreement.

Since they knew the tricks, the hunter’s cabin wasn’t hard to find. Nol followed footprints, traces of logging, and the scent of burning wood, quickly locating the target.

It was a roughly built log house with half a meter of snow covering the roof. Gray smoke billowed from the chimney. Even in daylight, the lights from the windows were very noticeable.

Standing at the door, they could hear faint coughs from inside.

Nol and Teest exchanged glances.

“Hello, it’s so cold outside; can we stay here?” Teest stepped forward to knock, his nasal voice especially persuasive. “We’ll pay.”

The game’s setting dictated that the hunter would not refuse players, but considering the game rewards and relationship levels, they remained cautious.

The door cracked open, releasing a burst of warmth, and an elderly face illuminated by the firelight appeared.

The hunter looked to be around seventy, slightly chubby, with deep-set wrinkles. His wild gray hair reached his shoulders, and he sported a large, unkempt beard. He was clad in moose and bear skins, exuding an aroma of meaty broth and grease. Despite his age, his back was still straight, hinting at his once sturdy physique.

He looked indifferently at the two standing at the door. After about half a minute, he moved aside.

“Hunter,” he pointed at himself and introduced in a deep voice, his tongue clumsy as if he hadn’t spoken to anyone in a long time.

“Teest, Nol.” Teest briefly introduced himself and Nol, quickly surveying the room’s interior.

The cabin was simple, consisting of one spacious room. A pot of soup simmered on the fireplace, its white steam drifting past a deer skull mounted above. Next to the fireplace was a rough chair, with a round table a few steps away. Jars and bottles sat on wooden shelves, their crude pottery gleaming warmly in the firelight.

The hunter’s bed and a long table filled with miscellaneous items each occupied a corner. The clutter on the table hinted that the owner wasn’t fond of reading or writing.

Teest immediately spotted several advantageous corners for combat. He then looked at the hunter and smiled politely. “We’ll set up by the long table; we promise not to disturb you.”

The hunter grunted in response and moved to the fireplace. “Soup’s in the pot. Serve yourself. Just this once. I don’t want your money, and don’t expect me to cook for you.”

“Can we trade for your stuff?” Nol inquired without glancing at the soup. “Not with money. We have sugar and spices.”

“I don’t have anything valuable,” the hunter replied without looking up.

Nol approached the cluttered table, lifting a letter opener from an inconspicuous corner. “We left in a hurry and missed many small items. If you don’t mind…”

“Have not used that thing in fifty years; take it,” the old hunter said after a sideways glance. “Salt or sugar, your choice.”

Teest packed some of both and left them on the shelf next to the fireplace. He then quickly returned to Nol’s side to inspect the letter opener.

With a deep brown handle and a slim, brass blade, it had a graceful curve but was tarnished and stained.

[Bad News: A worn-out letter opener that only reveals bad outcomes. When the user injures a target, it forcibly severs all system links between the user and the target. ※ Durable, but handle with care.]

Teest realized, “Could this be…”

[Exactly what you’re thinking of,] Nol responded mentally. [We can use it for a swift divorce.]

Instead of “Bad News,” he preferred calling it the “Blacklist.”

[I thought we’d face challenging quests to get the reward. Is it this easy?] Teest was amazed.

Nol smiled. [Ordinary people can normally dissolve teams or divorce. They generally don’t need such a niche item. Its value isn’t that high.]

Teest pretended not to hear.

Nol put the letter opener in his bag. Considering the Eternalist might be lurking nearby, he didn’t want to sever his ties with Teest just yet.

……

The night passed without incident.

The only “anomaly” was Teest’s efforts to keep his distance from Nol during the night. In summer, they’d comfortably sleep side by side. However, as temperatures dropped, Teest would flinch every time he touched the cold-bodied Nol.

Resigned, Nol got up in the latter half of the night to study new magic.

Throughout this, the old hunter was quite cold towards them. Treating them “like air” would be a polite way to put it. Even when Nol and Teest asked questions politely, he’d respond only once or twice out of ten times, mumbling incoherently.

Did the game system have to generate NPCs with such nasty temperaments? Nol wondered.

At dawn, the two were swiftly ushered out of the cabin by the old hunter.

“Get a deer, or at the very least, four pheasants or ducks. Get out of here,” the hunter said. The door slammed shut in front of Teest, blowing his long hair into disarray.

“Wow,” Teest exclaimed. “I thought my personality was bad, but there’s always someone worse.”

“Let’s go and explore the surroundings,” Nol suggested. “If we can hunt some big game, you might be able to make a fur scarf.”

“Do the Eternalist count as big game?” Teest muttered as he followed.

Nol looked up at the sky, avoiding that dreadful topic.

The snow was coming down as if it wouldn’t stop until the end of the world. Although the hunter was grumpy, he had lent them snow boots. With Teest’s wilderness survival experience and Nol’s [Listening] and [Smelling] abilities, their sturdy and lightweight boots quickly led them to prey. But they decided to go further to explore more areas…

“It seems there are no other people nearby,” Teest said as he roasted wild chicken over the fire at the entrance of a cave, the flames reflecting golden-red against his hair.

The pheasant was plump. Golden fat dripped onto the flames, causing it to crackle and pop. Teest simply sprinkled some salt and crushed herbs on it and roasted a few sweet potatoes, creating a perfect meal.

While eating too many sweet potatoes could be cloying, Nol preferred the white bread supplied by the Rizzi Caravan. Regrettably, while Teest had packed bottles and cans into his old waist bag, he hadn’t taken any bread.

“Unless something unexpected happens, there shouldn’t be any other people around here. Think about it, if there was a village nearby and the shadow wolf appeared, the villagers would be in big trouble,” Nol said, carefully biting into a chicken leg, trying not to get grease on himself.

Teest took a sharp breath. “So the hunter lives here all by himself?”

“That seems to be the case…” While games were games, reality was different. Hearing Teest’s words, Nol also felt a bit uneasy.

Suddenly, both of them froze. Teest drew his small hunting knife, and Nol grabbed his “The Complete Recipe Book”.

Behind a nearby rock, a head appeared.

It belonged to a beautiful and cute young boy. His golden short hair shone brightly, his eyes were astonishingly blue, and his long, pointed ears made him look like a forest elf from a fairytale, completely out of place in this snowy landscape.

His hand was grasping a stone, and the longing in his eyes was about to overflow.

Nol remained vigilant—despite the cute appearance, this creature was a “dwarf elf”, a kind of humanoid monster. Dwarf elves were innate magicians, slippery and cunning, and tricky to handle.

“It seems you’ve found me,” the elf said, his voice slightly muffled by his saliva. “Sirs, my wife and I haven’t eaten for two days. Please share some meat. I can perform healing magic. We can trade!”

Nol: “…” No, the elf’s had a strangely familiar tone.

Nol: “Earthstar?”

The elf gasped. “Nin-year compulsory education?”

“City A?” Nol continued.

The dwarf elf wiped his drool. “Copper pot mutton hotpot?”

“Yunshang Joy Garden?”

“Family—!” The elf eagerly opened his arms towards Nol but stopped just in time due to Teest’s threatening knife.

“I’m from Joy Garden. Both my wife and I are.” The dwarf elf scratched his head in embarrassment. “I’m Luo Ruilin, and my wife is Zhu Lijun… Do you remember?”

Nol was silent.

That memory was too profound.

This couple was famous in their community—Officer Luo, a policeman, and Doctor Zhu, a general surgeon. Known to be old classmates, they were famous for rarely being at home due to their professions. But for the same reasons, they had an excellent reputation in the community.

In Nol’s memory, Officer Luo was a tall man with a shaved head, standing at about 1.9 meters. Looking down at the dwarf elf, who was less than 1.6 meters tall, mixed feelings arose in his heart.

“Xu Yue. Building 7, Unit 1, Room 701,” he briefly introduced himself.

“Oh,” the dwarf elf recalled after a moment. “I remember Old Lady Meng in 501, who was quite a troublemaker.”

“She especially liked to curse people at the entrance of the building around four or five in the morning,” Nol added with a hint of nostalgia. “Teest, it’s okay. This guy is fine.”

The dwarf elf enthusiastically turned to Teest. “So, is he also—”

“No.” Nol shook his head. “He’s my friend, but he doesn’t live in Joy Garden.”

“Right, I’m his friend,” Teest said with a forced friendly tone. “We still have some chicken left. You can have it.”

“No, can I call my wife over? It would be better if we work together, right?” The dwarf elf’s eyes shone brightly. “Just be prepared; her appearance is a bit… abnormal.”

How could he describe his wife in such a way? Nol raised an eyebrow. But Officer Luo had always had a good reputation in the community, so maybe the situation was indeed special.

He turned to look at Teest, and Teest nodded. Only then did Nol say, “Let her come over. Let’s discuss the situation.”

“Honey!” The dwarf elf shouted loudly into the woods. “Honey, come over! We have our neighbors here—!”

Following his call, a shadow darted through the forest like the wind, moving so fast that it left only an afterimage. In just a few seconds, the shadow stopped in front of Nol and Teest.

Nol: “…………”

Teest took a deep breath, his movements a bit awkward. He almost instinctively drew his knife earlier—

The creature in front of them stood over two meters tall, with a massive wolf’s head, brown-yellow pupils, and sharp teeth. It was extremely muscular, its fur thick and dense, and its claws were as sharp as daggers.

Even in the icy and snowy conditions, it didn’t mind exposing its upper body. Underneath the fur, the contours of its eight-pack abs were notably prominent.

A wolfkin.

…More accurately, a male gray wolfkin.

‘Okay,’ Nol thought numbly. Mental preparation was indeed necessary.

“Which one of you is the neighbor?” The wolfkin spoke in a deep voice, looking quite at ease.

Before Nol could respond, the dwarf elf patted Nol. “This brother here.”

The wolfkin lowered her—his head to examine Nol. He was unsure what the creature was thinking, but its expression became serious after a moment.

“Your body temperature is off. Normal human temperature shouldn’t be this low… You’re a monster like us,” the wolfkin said. “Pardon my bluntness, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave.”

Nol’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve been here for over a month and found many clues. Simply put, this place traps all humans and humanoid monsters—the ‘Hunter’ is dying, and this place will pick a successor for him.”

“Even if someone is chosen, the others are backups. Once people come here, they can never leave again.”

The wolfkin sighed, showing off his sharp canine teeth.

“It seems this is like a role-playing game. It always needs a ‘Hunter’ to wait for the so-called ‘players’.”

The author has something to say:

Don’t think Nol’s card drawing luck is bad. His luck in drawing people (?) is really not bad.

Dragon Nest trio is waiting to grow. Outside, the starting combo of a mechanical engineer + criminal policeman + general surgeon is truly a golden team…

Of course, the most epic moment was drawing Teest, the Super Collector’s Edition SSR (?

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Sendoff Ch78

Kinky5 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 78: Besieged

Fireworks rose and fell, only in an instant. After the glow, the night remained pitch black, and the sky was still gloomy.

There were no mirrors outside. Yin Ci didn’t know what was on Shi Jingzhi’s mind, but he was wearing a bewildering smile on his face. Yin Ci used his sleeve to wipe off the snow and started rubbing Shi Jingzhi’s smoke-stained face.

At least it was New Year’s Eve. Shi Jingzhi didn’t have any new clothes to wear, but he looked peculiar and ethereal, overshadowing his shabby appearance. Now, he had to put on a stern face and walk into the house, not knowing if he would be mistaken for a beggar and kicked out.

The feeling of earnestly acting as an elder wasn’t so great. In just a few days, Yin Ci’s heart had pounded more times than in the past fifty years.

If it hadn’t been for his immortality, that blow just now would have cost him several years of lifespan.

Yin Ci thought to himself as he exerted a bit more force, wiping Shi Jingzhi’s face until it turned red. Finally, he managed to make Shi Jingzhi presentable, and the two of them returned to the house.

Little did they know that Shi Jingzhi’s festive addiction wasn’t over yet.

After everyone finished eating dumplings in a noisy manner, Shi Jingzhi neatly arranged a pile of fireworks and secretly prepared three red envelopes.

“Su Si, from now on, take good care of Lord Bai and don’t cause any trouble for me.”

Shi Jingzhi handed out the red envelopes and then gently patted Su Si’s head. He had a spring-like smile on his face, but his words weren’t very polite.

Su Si had just swallowed the last dumpling and almost choked on the spot.

But thinking about it carefully, it seemed that he hadn’t been of much use on this journey. Su Si, the young Patriarch of the Chigou Sect, reluctantly accepted the red envelope and opened it, only to find a small amount of money inside.

Su Si: “…”

Although he hadn’t been of much use, Shi Jingzhi wasn’t a generous person either.

He was just using this to get rid of a beggar!

“Yan Qing, take this money and keep it for now. When I break the ban, I will retrieve some of it. If I don’t… then you can take this money and accompany Su Si back to Huilian Mountain. The masters won’t make things too difficult for you, considering this sword’s importance.”

Upon hearing this seemingly entrusted tone, Yan Qing’s eyes reddened.

He carefully opened the red envelope and took out two silver notes. One note was worth one liang of silver, and the other was worth two liang of silver.

What about the monthly allowance and bonuses they had agreed upon? Weren’t they missing?

Yan Qing’s gratitude diminished instantly. He subtly said, “Oh,” turned around slowly, and decided to have another bowl of dumplings.

He suspected that the Kushan Sect was really here to freeload meals. Once they left, they would probably have to sleep and eat in the rough terrain, not even being able to afford the cheapest inn.

Finally, Shi Jingzhi walked up to Yin Ci. “A’Ci, this is for you. Take it. After all, I am your master, and I should give you something.”

With the tragedies of Su Si and Yan Qing before him, Yin Ci skeptically accepted the red envelope.

From the feel of it, there wasn’t a single copper coin in this thing. Who knew what tricks this fox was playing?

Well, he would consider it, playing along with his cheap master.

Yin Ci tore off the red paper expressionlessly. As expected, there were no silver coins inside, only a square piece of demon skin.

His eyebrows raised as he flipped the demon skin over. The demon skin was brownish-black, with a beautiful line of small characters engraved on it. The strokes were filled with cinnabar ink, making them very clear.

[Yidu Lantern Festival. Choose freely with this token.]

“A’Ci, make sure to keep it safe,” Shi Jingzhi said solemnly. “If you lose it, I won’t pay for it.”

A faint sourness surged in Yin Ci’s heart as he put the small piece of demon skin into his pocket.

“That’s only natural.”

Although it was a spontaneous idea, by midnight, the celebration was starting to feel more festive. Shi Jingzhi had gathered some cheap materials from Chen Qianfan’s collection and made some fireworks and firecrackers to set off outside the door.

Amidst the crackling sound of firecrackers, brilliant fireworks burst in the sky, adding fleeting stars to the gloomy sky.

Yan Qing held his Sword of Compassion and strained his neck from looking up. Lord Bai was frightened by the firecrackers and ran around honking, while Su Si had to chase after it with a bitter face.

Shi Jingzhi happily arranged two snow stools and pulled Yin Ci to sit down, watching the sparkling fireworks in the sky.

Shi Zhongyu was worried about her sect and couldn’t get into the festive mood. She didn’t want to disturb the others’ enthusiasm and found a corner to meditate on her own.

The smell of gunpowder in the air grew stronger. Chen Qianfan sneezed and shook his head helplessly. Granny Wei put on an extra coat and watched the fireworks with the members of the Kushan Sect.

The old woman leaned against the door as the fireworks twinkled in her cloudy eyes.

“The warm breeze loves the charming peach branches… The spring river is calm, whose home is filled with spring…”

She began to sing that festive and lively tune again. However, compared to before, her singing style was a bit strange—she became sharper as she sang. It was as if she had forgotten her age and forcibly raised her voice.

The old woman’s throat couldn’t handle the strain. What was supposed to be a gentle tune was turning into a mournful melody. Shi Jingzhi turned his head. “Granny Wei?”

Granny Wei’s expression became somewhat absent-minded. She looked at the fireworks in the sky, and a trace of fear gradually appeared on her face.

“It’s over, it’s over.” She pinched her voice and exclaimed like a young girl. “My voice is ruined, and I can’t sing anymore. On New Year’s Day, I’ll be beaten by the old master!”

After hesitating for a while, Shi Jingzhi was about to go forward and check her pulse, but Granny Wei snapped back to reality on her own.

She stood there in a daze for a moment, then gradually lowered her head. A slightly embarrassed expression appeared on her round face. “I’m getting old and confused. I scared you just now, didn’t I? I’ll go make tea…”

Before Shi Jingzhi could say anything, she had already entered the house, as if trying to escape.

With Chen Qianfan, an expert in healing, present, Shi Jingzhi was afraid of overstepping his boundaries in treating her, so he sat back down. When the last bit of fireworks burned out, everyone entered the house shivering from the cold. Granny Wei was already sitting in her usual spot, embroidering.

She had returned to her relaxed state and smiled apologetically at everyone.

Shi Jingzhi returned to Chen Qianfan’s side, busy watching him study scriptures. As the time for rest approached, he mentioned Granny Wei’s condition.

“Yes, I know,” Chen Qianfan casually replied. “She has been a bit scatterbrained lately. I’m working on a solution.”

Aside from that incident, this New Year’s Eve was quite perfect.

The battle on the first day of the new year was equally perfect.

The Arcane Arts seemed even more sluggish than the day before. Chen Qianfan didn’t even use any techniques; he just had Shi Jingzhi try his hand and personally directed him. With the three of them working together, they successfully severed the hands of an ancient corpse by sunset.

That night, Chen Qianfan started handling the body, claiming that he would be able to make the disaster warding talismans by noon on the second day. While Elder Chen was immersed in making the talismans, Granny Wei also came to help and cleared a large area in the room to set up a large-scale formation to break the ban.

The beginning of the new year went so smoothly that Shi Jingzhi became somewhat spirited.

The formation inside the house was slowly becoming complete, and amidst the tension, he even felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Everything was almost ready for breaking the ban, except for the three ancient corpses needed to power the formation. The next plan was stable and peaceful, proceeding step by step, which was rare and comforting.

…Unfortunately, this stability came to an end in the early morning of the next day.

Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci were woken up by a terrified Yan Qing shaking them vigorously. Yan Qing, usually steady, had a look of fear in his red eyes. Shi Jingzhi rubbed his eyes and got up. “It’s not even the hour of the Tiger yet. What’s going on?”

“O-Outside! Outside!”

Yan Qing gestured desperately, regretting that he couldn’t pull out his memories to show them. After speaking for a long time, his tongue got tangled, so he could only drag the master with one hand and the disciple with the other, forcing them to the door.

In winter, the sun rose late, and there was only a faint light around. But this faint light was enough for them to notice something strange—

The vast and monotonous snowy landscape had disappeared, replaced by black things surrounding the house in a complete circle. In the dim light, countless green and red dots flickered and trembled, occasionally flashing. The cold wind carried a gloomy atmosphere, making people feel uncomfortable.

Yin Ci narrowed his eyes slightly and understood it clearly.

That dark mass was entirely composed of monsters. Most of them were small monsters, but they were enough to be horrifying. Judging from the situation, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all the monsters from the Milan homeland had gathered here.

Monsters were already rare, let alone such a gathering of various types, coexisting peacefully. Yin Ci quickly scanned his gaze and found the “leader”.

The Arcane Arts was indeed among them.

It was about a hundred meters away from the house, kneeling at the edge of the encirclement. Its terrifying head was slightly lowered, facing the house’s entrance. Unlike during the previous battles, the Arcane Arts’ entire head was wide open, and from a distance, one could see thousands of pupils emitting a green light embedded in its huge skull.

Chen Qianfan’s house was most likely protected by spells, keeping them all outside. The horde of monsters couldn’t advance, yet they remained quiet and still.

It was hard to imagine what kind of fright Yan Qing had encountered when he went out to practice his sword early in the morning.

The commotion caused by the three of them waking up caught the attention of Elder Chen, who had been sleeping at the table. He grumbled a few times and pushed the three blocking the door to the side. “Move away, let me have a look.”

Seeing the situation outside the door and the Arcane Arts kneeling not far away, Chen Qianfan raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t expect that we would end up living in this godforsaken place and still have visitors coming to pay their New Year’s respects?”

The three members of the Kushan Sect: “…”

This old man was too audacious. He was probably quite wild when he was young.

After Chen Qianfan finished his sarcastic remark, he stretched his back with a big yawn. “Bring everyone here. Remember to close the windows. Don’t let Xiao Chun see. Don’t panic. I’ve set up quite a few formations, so they won’t be able to enter for the time being.”

People quickly gathered inside the house. Granny Wei didn’t join in the commotion and continued to prepare breakfast as usual. Shi Zhongyu saw the scene outside and furrowed her brows tightly, enough to crush a fly.

Yan Qing soon noticed something unusual—

“Where’s Su Si?”

“That tear mole kid? The goose beat him up in the middle of the night and then ran away. He went after it, but he said goodbye to me before leaving.” Chen Qianfan said, “Now it seems like Sai Weng has lost his goose*.”

*This is referring to the proverb “Sai Weng lost his horse” (塞翁失馬), except in this case it’s a goose since he’s referring to Lord Bai. The proverb means every misfortune or setback may turn into a blessing in disguise (AKA every cloud has a silver lining/a setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise). || You can read the story about the proverb in my Kinky Thoughts.

It seemed that Lord Bai had sensed something, and time was limited, so it only managed to save Su Si.

“Senior, may I ask what’s going on?” Shi Zhongyu, who was in a hurry, was so nervous that it was about to overflow in her voice.

“Someone had the audacity to ‘awaken’ the Arcane Arts.”

Chen Qianfan coldly snorted.

“Don’t worry, I’m not referring to you all. That brat who chased the goose couldn’t do it either. Whoever played this trick is definitely more skilled than my senior brothers and sisters, and even my junior brothers and sisters.”

Yin Ci: “Awaken?”

“When the Arcane Arts was the ‘Queen’s Funeral’, it was much fiercer. The Mishan Sect placed thousands of restrictions on it, only suppressing it to its previous state… But now, it seems someone deliberately deactivated the restrictions and turned it back into the mad dog it was back then.”

It turned out that the Arcane Arts they fought a few days ago was a weakened version.

Shi Jingzhi broke into a cold sweat. “If they placed restrictions, why did they intentionally leave a solution?”

“Are you stupid? This is the Queen of Milan’s artifact. When faced with external threats, awakening the Arcane Arts to deal with the enemy is much more convenient than taking action themselves.”

‘That’s actually a clever move,’ Yin Ci thought. If they weren’t considered “enemies”, it would be even better.

Yin Ci spoke before Shi Jingzhi could. “Yan Qing wasn’t present that day, so I’ll have him escort you and Granny Wei away.”

Elder Chen, being elderly and not strong in combat, was indispensable in breaking the ban. If the Arcane Arts was coming after them, it would be best to send the old man away first.

Chen Qianfan snorted. “The ‘Queen’s Funeral’ is relentless and unreasonable. Don’t even think about it; once surrounded, no one can escape.”

Yin Ci fell silent.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t escape.”

Chen Qianfan didn’t show much annoyance from being involved, and his face wore a cold smile.

“Using those two corpse hands as materials, I can create a temporary artifact to help us all escape. There is a downside, though—the Arcane Arts, even if sealed again, won’t give up its target. Once the target sets foot on Milan’s territory, it will relentlessly pursue and hunt them day and night. In the future, our group won’t be able to get a single step closer to the Mishan Sect.”

“In that case, the girl’s disaster warding talisman won’t be needed, and this kid’s ban won’t be lifted either. My thirty years of research might just end here.”

Kinky Thoughts:

Sai Weng lived on the border, and he raised horses for a living. One day, he lost one of his prized horses. After hearing of his misfortune, his neighbor felt sorry for him and came to comfort him. But Sai Weng simply asked, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?”

After a while, the lost horse returned with another beautiful horse. The neighbor came over again and congratulated Sai Weng on his good fortune. But Sai Weng simply asked, “How could we know it is not a bad thing for me?”

One day, his son went out for a ride on the new horse. He was violently thrown from the horse and broke his leg. The neighbors once again expressed their condolences to Sai Weng, but Sai Weng simply said, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?” One year later, the Emperor’s army arrived at the village to recruit all able-bodied men to fight in the war. Because of his injury, Sai Weng’s son could not go off to war and was spared from certain death.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Criminal Psychology Ch297

Kinky2 Comments

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 297

Five yuan.

This was the “toll fee” he gave to Xing Conglian that day. Time had passed, but he was still the one being extorted.

Lin Chen’s fingers trembled slightly, and after a while, he took out a twenty yuan bill and handed it to the chubby kid.

The hospital was planted with many pearl plum trees. The blue sky, green leaves, white walls, and snow-white flowers, plus the shock in the little boy’s black eyes after getting the money—everything exuded life.

It’s good to be alive.

Zheng Xiaoming came abruptly and left without any psychological burden after scamming him out of his money.

Lin Chen held the burger wrapper that was exchanged with him, unfolded it, and looked at it in the wind.

The sunlight shone through the snow-white, oil-proof paper. There was no text inside. Indeed, it was just a piece of paper that was carefully packed and taken away after the burger was finished.

The wind brushed the oil-proof paper. Lin Chen sniffed it. It smelled really good, so in a sense, it wasn’t a total loss.

After being interrupted by Zheng Xiaoming, Lin Chen suddenly became bored.

Probably because he wanted to cheer up but didn’t have the energy, but he was too lazy to think about things like human fate and destiny; he just wanted to sleep for a while.

Then he really fell asleep.

He didn’t know how long he had slept.

By the time he opened his eyes, the sun in the sky had changed its angle and became hotter. And there was someone sitting next to him—a youthful, short-haired girl.

He looked at the girl’s fair side profile, wondering what Xing Conglian was trying to do.

Realizing that he was awake, the girl dragged a KFC bucket from a family meal from the ground and set it next to him. She opened the lid without saying a word.

Lin Chen rubbed his forehead, wondering why the children he knew were becoming more and more taciturn. Fang Aizi must have seen the KFC wrapper he was holding tightly, so the misunderstanding was deep.

He folded the paper that Zheng Xiaoming had sent, put it back into his pocket, and couldn’t explain.

He couldn’t refuse the kindness, so he picked a piece of the original recipe fried chicken from the bucket and took a bite. Sure enough, the fried chicken was completely cold despite the hot weather, indicating how long he had been asleep and how long Fang Aizi had been with him.

“Don’t you have to go to school?” Lin Chen asked.

The girl glanced at him. Her black hair was blown into a mess by the wind on the rooftop. “No need.”

“Today is Wednesday. Why not?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“…” Lin Chen could only continue to eat the fried chicken. Fang Aizi found a biscuit inside and handed it to him.

The meaning was probably that the fried chicken was too greasy, so he should eat some bread first.

Lin Chen accepted it and said, “Thank you,” but Fang Aizi still didn’t speak.

Lin Chen ate silently for a while before finally saying, “How can we chat like this?”

“Don’t want to chat.” The response was very straightforward.

Lin Chen was always helpless toward the little girl. After carefully considering women’s psychology, he looked at Fang Aizi and said, “Are you angry?”

Only then did Fang Aizi finally turn her head to look at him squarely and nod very seriously.

“Why?” After he said this, he realized that the answer wasn’t quite right. He recalled the rules he had read about how to coax a girlfriend while chasing Xing Conglian, and tentatively said, “In any case, I must be the one at fault, but I am a bit stupid. Can you tell me where I went wrong?”

Fang Aizi also felt choked. After a while, tears began to well up in the girl’s eyes. Her skin was white and transparent, making her look like a heroine in a Japanese shoujo manga*.

*Japanese comics targeting adolescent girls and young adult women. Generally, the protagonist is a young girl.

But her expression was calm. The tears in her eyes didn’t fall, showing that her endurance was far beyond ordinary people.

Lin Chen sighed deeply. Even though his head was hurting, at this moment, he could no longer see the gray interrogation room, the toilet, or those lives that had disappeared in front of him one after another. He could only see the living people in front of him.

He opened his arms and asked the girl next to him, “Do you want a hug?”

As expected, the advice from the post was very useful. The girl finally couldn’t help it and cried loudly as she buried her head on his shoulder with tears streaming down her face.

Lin Chen patted Fang Aizi’s back. This girl was excessively strong that tears weren’t in her dictionary, but now she was heartbroken.

Lin Chen could feel her sadness, which contained fear, worry, and uncertainty about the future.

Fang Aizi cried for a long time, and Lin Chen suspected that she had never cried so inexplicably in her life.

After a very long time, about half an hour, Fang Aizi was finally able to control her emotions. She took her head off his shoulder, covered her face, probably feeling too embarrassed. Lin Chen took a napkin from the KFC bucket and passed it to her.

“I’m sorry,” Fang Aizi said.

“It’s okay. Capriciousness is a girl’s privilege.”

“When I came to the rooftop and saw you sitting here alone, I was very scared.”

“I know.”

“At first, I thought, ‘Consultant Lin is also human. He may also feel tired and can’t keep going, so let him rest for a while…'” Fang Aizi was still somewhat sobbing.

“Yeah…”

“No, that’s not it,” Fang Aizi interrupted him. “I bought KFC and came back, and you hadn’t woken up yet. I suddenly thought, ‘If even you are ready to give up, what will we do?'”

Lin Chen paused for a moment, always feeling that such words should not be spoken by a girl like Fang Aizi.

“Of course, you don’t actually owe us anything,” she said. “You’re not a savior. There are plenty of tall and strong people in the world, but… I only know you.”

The girl sniffed. “You told me, I was born to live a more upright life than others. Others can harbor hatred, I cannot; others can wish for death, I cannot. You told me that from the day my father died, I can only carry the glory and pride he gave me and keep going…”

Lin Chen glanced at her. “I brewed such beautiful chicken soup?”

Fang Aizi sniffed and finally didn’t look as fragile as before. She put on her cloak of strength and said, “You were very good that day.”

“Eh… I thought so too.”

“I thought a lot about it. I’ve been thinking about how to comfort you since I went downstairs to buy the takeout.”

Lin Chen looked down at the tear stains on his shirt and said, “You performed quite well, too.”

Fang Aizi was a bit embarrassed. “Anyway, I really thought of a lot of lines, but the moment you woke up, I suddenly found that I couldn’t say anything. I was afraid that you would say to me: Aizi, life is too hard; let’s just give it up.”

The girl no longer cried, but her eyes were still very red. “I’m afraid that the person who encourages me to keep going will collapse first, and then I will find it hard to keep going.”

Lin Chen shook his head, wanting to find something to joke about, but he suddenly found that it was indeed his real thought at some point.

“So…”

Fang Aizi patted herself, stood up against the light. Her short black hair flew in the wind, making her look heroic.

“Consultant Lin, thank you for pulling me out of the mud when my life was darkest, but I’m sorry, I still need to bother you.” She patted her shoulder and said earnestly, “Since you have become my life mentor, please continue to lead by example.”

Fang Aizi finished speaking and left without any delay. Lin Chen finally discovered the second commonality of children who didn’t like to talk.

The sound of the girl’s footsteps disappeared on the rooftop.

He looked at the gradually setting sun and laughed with a lot of emotion.

Fang Aizi had completely grasped his weakness. He really had no solution to the girl’s tears.

After all, intelligent and beautiful girls were the treasures of all mankind.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged and opened his phone.

For such a long time, he didn’t receive any missed calls, which meant Xing Conglian had excellent control over the situation.

He wiped his phone screen and dialed the number; the call was answered instantly.

Xing Conglian told someone nearby, “Wait a moment.”

In the interim, Lin Chen said to Xing Conglian, “You can stop now. Don’t send more people.”

“How did you know there are more?” Xing Conglian asked indifferently.

Lin Chen was speechless. “I just guessed.”

“The next one is Mu Wenhua,” Xing Conglian said.

“What’s going on?”

“She is a fan of Song Shengsheng.”

Lin Chen could only remain silent. “No more.”

“She wrote a thank-you letter to you and has always wanted to see you.”

“That’s strange.”

“Are you shy?”

“Not really,” Lin Chen said. The city beneath the rooftop was bathed in warm sunshine, making the leaves gleam. He watched for a while, but Xing Conglian didn’t say anything more, so he had to admit, “Okay, I’m a bit shy.”

“Why?”

Lin Chen didn’t expect Xing Conglian to ask seriously.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“Because for many people, they would rather admit their dark side than their inherent goodness. For you, you’d rather confront a psychopath to the end than accept the sincere gratitude of a normal person. Are you…”

“Sick?”

“How would I dare to say that to the head of the family!”

“Uh…” Lin Chen thought for a moment and complimented Xing Conglian. “Captain Xing is very eloquent.”

“Consultant Lin, you’re too kind.”

Lin Chen was helpless. It was very quiet on Xing Conglian’s side, like he was climbing stairs.

Xing Conglian continued, “In fact, what really keeps you going is not the criminals, but the good people and the ordinary people you care about. So think about it, why are you standing here?”

Lin Chen glanced at the rooftop. “I just want to enjoy the breeze here.”

“Lin Chen,” Xing Conglian said seriously.

“Here.”

“Be bold. Accept kindness boldly, admit short-term gains and losses boldly, and continue your journey boldly,” Xing Conglian said solemnly. “You don’t owe anyone anything, and you are destined to win.”

Xing Conglian was like a boss lecturing his subordinates, but this kind of advice, without any personal feelings, was very helpful to Lin Chen.

“I see,” Lin Chen said.

After saying this, he paused but still wanted to ask, “Why am I destined to win?”

“No reason. It’s just that it’s always better to have faith than not to have it.”

Xing Conglian didn’t have many profound philosophies and just spoke straightforwardly.

The sun overhead was very bright, and Lin Chen inexplicably felt a sense of being nourished.

“Wife…” Lin Chen drew out his words, and he could clearly hear Xing Conglian gasping at the other end of the phone.

“Lin Chen.” Xing Conglian forced himself to keep his voice steady.

“I’m here, my wife,” Lin Chen continued. “Do you know what I like about you the most?”

“What?” Xing Conglian asked.

“Everything,” Lin Chen answered.

Xing Conglian paused for a moment, then asked, “Do you know what I dislike about you the most?”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing,” Xing Conglian decisively said.

“Ah…”

Lin Chen continued to sigh. The door of the rooftop squeaked open, and the footsteps got closer. His heartbeat accelerated, and when he looked back, he heard Xing Conglian say, “Actually, there’s no Mu Wenhua. She’s in Yongchuan, and I’m not that heartless and crazy.”

Kinky Thoughts:

Okay… I have to admit, this is too fucking cute, especially the husband and wife reversal haha.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Criminal Psychology Ch296

KinkyLeave a comment

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 296

Wang Chao rubbed his eyes, feeling very confused.

The world was so big, and his personal strength was so weak, that it seemed useless to do anything.

He typed on the keyboard and wrote a line of inexplicable code. Thinking about some past events, he felt somewhat discouraged.

At this moment, he felt someone’s hand on his neck—a large hand with thick calluses on the joints and fingertips. Of course, Wang Chao knew whose hand this was. This action had a gentle and comforting meaning, and he turned his head in surprise.

“Go sleep for a while.”

“Boss…”

Xing Conglian said, “Have some confidence. Go to sleep first.”

“The virus…”

‘How could I possibly have confidence?’ Wang Chao thought.

“First of all, this is a piece of propaganda material. Regardless of whether they are ready to use it, when we see it, they can only continue stubbornly.”

Stirred by this point, Wang Chao seemed to grasp something key. “They can’t hide anymore, can they? They can only prepare for a decisive battle?”

“If in the next phase, a large amount of material related to the Borna virus appears on the Internet, it proves that they are probably at the end of their strength,” Xing Conglian said.

The alarm for the monitor in the lower right corner of the computer went off.

He opened it immediately.

In the pop-up window, the “virus” and “contagious” related keywords he had set were explosively increasing in geometric numbers, exceeding the safety threshold.

“It’s started.” He turned the screen around to show his boss. The faces of everyone inside and outside the screen tightened. But having known in advance what was going to happen, he didn’t feel helpless.

“A cornered dog will leap over the wall*, heh.” Xing Conglian extinguished his cigarette.

*(狗急跳墙了) It’s a metaphor often used to refer to when bad guys are desperate, they will go all out to make trouble.

“What should we do next?” Wang Chao asked.

Xing Conglian thought for a moment and said, “I’ll make a call to Su Fengzi.”

Before his words fell, the mobile phone on the table lit up.

The incoming call was from an unknown number. Wang Chao shivered, immediately wanting to find the signal tracking device. But Xing Conglian, as if sensing something in advance, answered the phone with a gloomy face.

“Captain Xing… I am Chu Wei from the detention center.”

“Chu Wei.”

“Well… Consultant Lin is on the hospital rooftop. We’re not professionals, so we dare not persuade him… What do you think…”

Wang Chao was close enough to hear the careful wording inside. He stiffened, and all drowsiness disappeared.

“I see.” Xing Conglian paused for a long time, then said, “Tell your people to back off and not disturb him.”

After saying that, he looked at the two people in the video call and said, “Sorry.”

Then he abruptly closed his laptop and rubbed his face heavily.

But his device had already received the public sentiment warning, so the reaction from the command center wouldn’t be too slow.

Less than two minutes after hanging up the hospital’s call, Xing Conglian received the next call from Minister Shen. He had a premonition and answered the call directly, saying, “Wait for me for three minutes. I will report the situation in three minutes.”

Then he hung up.

The time left for Xing Conglian to think was very short.

On one hand, there was his A’Chen Gege, who was in a terrible situation, and on the other, the desperate culprits.

Wang Chao saw everything, but he didn’t know what to do other than feeling anxious.

Xing Conglian held his phone, opened the contacts, and slid his finger over the list of names.

He rubbed the edge of his phone, deep in thought.

Just when Wang Chao thought he would call A’Chen Gege, he saw his boss put the phone to his ear, and a moment later he said, “Fengzi, here’s the situation…”

Xing Conglian began to briefly explain the latest developments in the case to one of his allies.

Su Fengzi listened to the call for a while, and without any further teasing, he said, “The Borna virus probably hasn’t achieved its most efficient means of transmission, so they want to create mass panic with the drug and the virus. But either of these, we don’t have an effective way to suppress in the short term.”

“Right.”

“What about Lin Chen? Hasn’t Shen Lian loosened up yet? She’s waiting for a lifesaver.”

“Shen Lian tried committing suicide and is still being rescued.”

Su Fengzi’s breath hitched, but he sharply asked, “You’re avoiding the question directly. Did Lin Chen get stimulated? Is he not doing well?”

Xing Conglian took a deep breath and told the truth. “He’s on the hospital rooftop.”

“I see. Don’t tell him about the BDV virus for now. Tell him when he’s calmed down.” Su Fengzi was very decisive.

“I was thinking the same.” Xing Conglian said, “But I need a brief plan of action for dealing with public sentiment control and the potential for mass panic.”

“I’ll write a brief plan for you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sister*.” Su Fengzi was unusually irritable. “How is Lin Chen…”

*Clarity: He’s teasing Xing Conglian since Lin Chen is his “brother (shidi)”.

But Xing Conglian didn’t answer and hung up the phone.

Wang Chao checked the time. There was one minute left before his boss was scheduled to report the situation. At this moment, his boss looked at him with a firm gaze. “Find some people’s numbers for me, then go to sleep. You have two hours to rest.”

……

Lin Chen just wanted to go to the rooftop to get some fresh air.

The temperature in the early morning was neither hot nor cold, with blue skies and white clouds, not as suffocating as the doorway to the operating room.

Images of Shen Lian’s self-mutilation would spontaneously emerge before his eyes; the blood gushing from her mouth and that blue pencil were particularly vivid.

Sometimes Lin Chen could even see white bone stubs, although he wasn’t sure if that was imagined or if it had actually happened.

But none of that mattered now.

He sat down cross-legged, leaning against the concrete wall with his hands hanging on his legs, feeling the cool ground.

Because of the construction of the rooftop, if he wanted to find a place to lean his back against, he would be close to the edge of the rooftop.

He probably knew that it looked like he was about to commit suicide, but he didn’t have the energy to care about everyone’s feelings.

He was indeed very tired.

To be honest, although he always felt that he had bad luck, he didn’t really believe in destiny.

Furthermore, he didn’t believe in sayings like “justice will eventually come” or “the truth might be late, but it will never be absent”.

The role of feel-good phrases was to let people in desperate situations hold onto their beliefs and persevere, but the downside was also very clear: People may think that it’s the high and mighty justice of heaven at work.

But in reality, there was no such thing as heaven being fair, and everyone was treated like grass.

Those who truly fought for justice and truth were humans.

But it was precisely because there was no heavenly justice that humans often felt helpless.

Lin Chen closed his eyes.

Although the weather around him was clear, he felt like he was still standing in the narrow bathroom of the detention center.

He was propping himself against the sink, as if he were split into two people.

One side was dark, the other was bright.

One side was filled with despair and loneliness, while the other was fragmented and colorful due to the reflection of the colored paper.

He was thinking of Huang Weiwei.

The vague smile of the girl appeared on the colored paper.

As he looked at her, she smiled back at him.

If there was really such a thing as heavenly justice, or if people’s fate was determined by their goodness or badness, then Huang Weiwei had the most reason to stand in the end.

But Huang Weiwei was dead.

He thought of Song Shengsheng.

He racked his brains, trying to find a precise phrase to sum up Song Shengsheng.

Such a beautiful life.

This was the only phrase he could think of.

But, Song Shengsheng was dead.

Of course, this cause-and-effect relationship wasn’t very clear.

But how could there be such a clear cause and effect?

Whether it was Fang Zhiming or Xu Ran, what reasons did they have to die?

And the four people.

Four people in exchange for thousands of innocent lives—what a profitable deal. They should have chosen it…

Then everything would have ended.

Lin Chen knew that he was now splitting hairs. The person who should be responsible for all this is the murderer, not God.

But since there was a murderer, they should stop him, not stand by and watch as tragedies keep on happening.

Yet he couldn’t do anything, feeling extremely powerless.

But, he didn’t want to admit that the enemy was too powerful, nor did he want to admit that he was too weak.

He could only believe that fate was a blind arbitrator, and the world was inherently unpredictable and irrational, so no matter what happened, it wouldn’t be too outrageous.

Lin Chen realized that he couldn’t even persuade himself, let alone Shen Lian. He gripped his cell phone but didn’t make a call. Since Xing Conglian didn’t call, it meant that things weren’t going well.

He blinked, and the cool wind brushed his face. His face was facing the sun, and he could feel the red blood vessels beneath his eyelids.

He knew he looked sickly now, but there was a certain comfort in this sickly feeling.

To wallow in a sense of hopeless despair meant he didn’t have to exert any willpower to achieve a satisfactory state or to satisfy others. How nice that would be…

If this was a tragic story, it could very well end with the protagonist committing suicide. Unfortunately, reality was more brutal than fiction because, regardless of how miserable it was, he was the one writing the script of his life. No one would be responsible for his life, so most of the time, he could only keep going.

Tap, tap…

The sound of a door opening echoed across the rooftop, followed by timid footsteps. Lin Chen rubbed his face, wanting to tell the approaching person that he had no intention of suicide and that he just wanted some peace.

But a faint scent of milk drifted in with the wind. He turned his head and saw a round, chubby face.

He was stunned.

“Why are you here?” he managed to ask.

Of course, the visitor wouldn’t answer.

Lin Chen patted the ground next to him, indicating for the person to sit down. To his surprise, the person sat directly on his crossed legs.

A chubby child with a fondness for various chicken burgers naturally carried considerable weight. The child, Zheng Xiaoming, leaned his whole body against Lin Chen for his own comfort, almost squeezing the breath out of Lin Chen.

Lin Chen struggled to withdraw his hand from behind Zheng Xiaoming, cradling the chubby child in his arms. He wanted to ask something but felt too weary to speak. Not everything needed a thorough investigation.

Zheng Xiaoming also remained silent. After all, an autistic prodigy lived in a world completely different from that of a normal person. So, they stayed together for a while, enjoying the breeze. The child’s soft hair brushed against his neck, and his overly plump body filled his arms, giving a satisfying feeling.

After an undetermined amount of time, Zheng Xiaoming finally moved. He squirmed on Lin Chen for a while, and just before Lin Chen’s legs were about to break from the weight, he finally took something out of his pocket.

It was a white food wrapper with some patterns on it.

Lin Chen realized, after the wrapper was unfolded, that it was a wrapper from a KFC chicken burger.

He stared at Zheng Xiaoming in surprise. The boy’s chubby cheeks were overflowing, but he greedily sniffed the aroma of the fried chicken wrapper, swallowed, and showed the pattern to him.

Then Zheng Xiaoming handed him the crumb-filled wrapper and opened his other hand.

His thumb, index finger, and middle finger came together, lightly rubbing.

This gesture was more than familiar.

Lin Chen looked at the chubby boy’s deep, clear eyes, full of expectation, and didn’t know what to say.

“Did he send you?” he finally asked.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Evil As Humans Mini Extras Collection

Kinky15 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Note: These are mini extras that the author has written posted separately on JJ. She intermittently updates them, usually on Valentine’s Day and other holidays for her CPs. The translation will be updated when the author updates her blog. You can get updates when translations are updated in my Discord server. Below is a ton of dog food.

2025/29/8

Everyone’s Summer Cool-Down Routines

Another Qixi has come around, and our married couples are celebrating again.

Here are their little everyday tricks for beating the heat—

“A business trip in the middle of summer?” Yin Ren dabbed at nonexistent tears. “Minister Fu, do you have any humanity?”

Fu Xingchuan watched the performance, unmoved. “None.”

“But they do have a famous local braised-meat specialty. It was featured in a documentary.”

Yin Ren: “Got it.”

The next day they took a high-speed train straight to the mission location.

The site was an old, ill-omened house with unusually rich evil qi nearby. Yin Ren found a snack stall close by and blew some evil qi to cool himself down, feeling so comfortable that every pore opened up.

The hunched stall owner slowly simmered the signature braise. The rich aroma lifted the lid, threaded into Yin Ren’s nose, and turned into a steaming sense of bliss.

“More of this kind of assignment would be great,” Yin Ren sighed.

“Mm,” Zhong Chengshuo nodded. “I’ve never been out here. There’s plenty of new samples to collect.”

As the sun neared the horizon, the stall owner rolled his cloudy eyes and stared at them with ill intent.

“Meat so fragrant, meat so fine,” he set down two bowls and cackled, “fragrant as little boys and girls… you a piece, me a piece, tomorrow we’ll go snatch the babies…”

“Truly fragrant. No wonder it made the documentary,” Yin Ren praised.

Stall owner: “……”

“Elder, that phrasing invites misunderstanding.” Zhong Chengshuo prodded a chunk with his chopsticks. “This isn’t human flesh. Human fat is yellow.”

Stall owner: “…………”

“Really,” Yin Ren blinked. “I never paid it much mind before, but I suppose it is yellow.”

Stall owner: “?”

“This is very fresh pork, lightly seasoned—quite healthy,” Zhong Chengshuo announced solemnly.

“Shame I like heavy flavors.” Yin Ren casually tugged a sooty lump off the stall owner’s brow, dropping it into his own pot. “Mm, that’s about right.”

Zhong Chengshou, completely used to it by now, leisurely ladled a spoon of clear broth.

The stall owner seemed to jolt awake from a dream. He looked them over, startled, and said a bit sheepishly, “My head gets foggy… Did you two pay?”

“We did,” Yin Ren said. “Elder, why set up your stall here?”

“It’s nice and cool,” the old man beamed.

“Tomorrow it’ll get warmer nearby,” Zhong Chengshuo said seriously. “Foot traffic isn’t great here. Try the market.”

“Alright!”

2025/5/20

Everyone’s Birthday Cakes

Congrats to the couple from “Help” on moving into the Married Zone ☆(/ω＼)

This year’s 520 (May 20) mini-extra: couples celebrate their birthdays! It’s a perfect chance to compile everyone’s birthdays~

Yin Ren: January 20th

Source: A gift from Zhong Chengshuo. (29th day of the 12th lunar month, Renyin year; Great Cold, 2023)

Cake: [Deluxe Wedding Cake]

Yin Ren has a very odd “hatchling imprinting” fixation (?). Even Zhong Chengshuo feels it is a bit inappropriate to order a wedding cake every single year.

So Comrade Xiao Zhong carefully studied recipes from home and abroad, threw himself into it with a lab-experiment spirit, and produced a near-perfect multi-tier cake—he even crafted fondant toppers modeled on Yin Ren and himself.

※ Yin Ren always polishes off the entire cake and also casts a spell to preserve those fondant figures. The “husband-and-husband” figurines wear different outfits every year, but they are forever smiling.

Zhong Chengshuo: April 20

Source: A normal (?) birthday. (Grain Rain, 2022)

Cake: [Apple Cake]

A recipe Yin Ren hunted down. It uses lots of apples yet needs no excessive oil or sugar making it very healthy and up to Zhong Chengshuo’s wellness standards.

He even took time off to study at home, carefully comparing apple varieties, and made it especially tasty. It became one of Yin Ren’s few signature dishes.

※ When it’s time to share the cake, Yin Ren especially likes to feed Zhong Chengshuo a few bites by hand. After so many years, he can finally share sweet apples—and sweet happiness—with that black rabbit and do it with a smile.

2025/2/16

What to Do When You’re Stuck Together

Suddenly stuck together—what should you do?

A belated Valentine’s Day mini joke (?) story has arrived! Time for some sweet, sticky fluff ☆

Q: What should you do if you wake up in the morning and find your hand stuck to your partner’s?

A: Take leave from work first.

Zhong Chengshuo truthfully reported the abnormal incident and even submitted a leave request for Yin Ren while he was at it—

The Ghost King himself discovered their hands were stuck together, groggily cheered, “No work today!” then promptly fell back asleep, throwing a leg over Zhong Chengshuo’s waist for good measure.

Zhong Chengshuo melancholically swung his sole remaining free hand and made a decision that defied common health advice. He picked up his phone and used his left hand to order delivery.

According to his research, waking Yin Ren with noise didn’t work well; kisses or the smell of food were far more effective. However, kissing only happened when they were heading to work together. Now that he was stuck in bed too, there was no chance Yin Ren would get up voluntarily.

Only the food offensive remained.

Zhong Chengshuo, well aware of Yin Ren’s tastes, ordered from three different restaurants to ensure their breakfast was aromatic and appetizing. Sure enough, the moment the delivery driver arrived, Yin Ren instantly snapped awake.

“Fresh soy milk.” He sniffed the air and sat up happily. “And tofu pudding, stuffed pancakes, and egg burgers.”

Before the driver even knocked, Yin Ren had already flashed to the door.

Wake-up mission: perfectly accomplished. Zhong Chengshuo pushed up his glasses in satisfaction.

After washing up, the two of them moved to the dining table like conjoined twins, inspecting this inexplicable hand-holding anomaly. By now, both of them understood their own physical conditions well enough to know the situation wasn’t dangerous.

However, Shian was very concerned about this bizarre leave excuse, and Fu Xingchuan’s questions were practically flooding their chat window.

“This feels kind of fun.”

Yin Ren decisively grew another arm, completely unbothered by the anomaly. “Why not make up a reason and send it over? Minister Fu seems really spooked.”

Zhong Chengshuo shook his head. “There’s no need to lie to him.”

“No no no, it’s not lying—it’s reassurance.”

Yin Ren waved his chopsticks. “‘Although we don’t understand it, it seems harmless’—that kind of explanation is too vague. Minister Fu will definitely get anxious. We should consider his emotional state. If it’s still unresolved in a couple days, then we can have a serious talk.”

He was familiar with anomalies.

Not understanding the cause wasn’t a big deal—if it wasn’t harmful, just let it be. It might disappear on its own. He had seen this sort of thing countless times. Nature is just that magical.

And this anomaly… was actually kind of cute!

A rare chance to skip work openly—why not go on a hand-in-hand date around the city?

While Zhong Chengshuo replied dutifully to messages, Yin Ren was already efficiently searching for nearby events.

The rest of the day went just as he’d hoped. Their hands didn’t separate, but it didn’t hinder them either. The two of them went to the largest museum in Haigu and joyfully spent the whole day exploring.

Ever since Zhong Chengshuo sent that message to Fu Xingchuan, Yin Ren’s phone had stopped receiving new alerts. Well… Comrade Xiao Zhong was quite reliable after all.

Late at night when they returned home, Yin Ren stuffed a huge bag of snacks into the fridge and, for the first time in a while, opened the work group chat.

[Final Fruit: Yin Ren and I both think it’s fine.]

[Pray For More Talismans: No no no, your case is special—even if it’s fine, it still deserves attention!]

[Pray For More Talismans]: Do you guys have any theories?]

[Final Fruit: [sigh]]

[Final Fruit: Yin Ren and I are the same species. If we interpret ‘stuck together’ as a biological phenomenon, then considering common scenarios, this could be a form of same-species mating.]

[Pray For More Talismans]: ?]

[Final Fruit: The specific situation still needs further observation.]

[Pray For More Talismans: ???]

Yin Ren: “……”

Yin Ren closed his eyes, trying his hardest to erase that memory.

Wow, the next workday just became even less appealing.

2024/8/13

Everyone’s Favorite Sports

A belated short story for Qixi Festival, with a little Olympic commemoration (*/ω＼*)

Yin Ren: [Tree Climbing]

The Ghost King has a special fondness for tree climbing. 

In the past, when the forests were dense, he loved climbing to the highest tree, lazily basking in the sun. Even with countless seals on his body, Yin Ren could still feel the warmth of the sun, like an embrace—though at that time, he didn’t really understand what a true embrace was. 

After settling in Haigu, Yin Ren had to give up this hobby. The reason is simple—climbing the greenery on both sides of the city is too undignified, and climbing trees in the park isn’t quite appropriate either. Only when he goes on mountain trips with Zhong Chengshuo can Yin Ren happily climb trees again. 

Fortunately, he has the perfect substitute for his daily life. 

When he sleeps, Yin Ren likes to drape himself entirely over Zhong Chengshuo. He always gets a warm hug, just like basking in the sun

Zhong Chengshuo: [Shooting] 

Rather than saying Zhong Chengshuo likes shooting, it’s more accurate to say he’s good at it. 

Shooting is an excellent way to exercise. Controlling your breathing, heart rate, and muscles, and even considering wind speed—every detail must be taken into account. Attacking a moving target requires calculating its trajectory. To Zhong Chengshuo, this sport is equivalent to a mathematical problem in motion. 

After marrying Yin Ren, Zhong Chengshuo rarely practices shooting anymore. He prefers to spend time with Yin Ren, and he’s found a good substitute. 

When Yin Ren is asleep, Zhong Chengshuo can catch the unconscious flapping of his wings—controlling his breathing, heart rate, and muscles still requires precision. 

Perfect.

2024/6/1

Childhood Hairstyles

I suddenly wondered what everyone’s hairstyle was like when they were kids, so I’m sharing this on Children’s Day— 

Consider it a little addition to the setting (〃ω〃)

Yin Ren: [Extremely Long Hair]

Considering that long hair had many uses, young Yin Ren paid great attention to hair care. Besides hunting, eating, and sleeping, he had limited entertainment, so playing with his hair was a good way to pass the time.

Zhong Chengshuo: [Standard Student Cut]

Since both of his parents were police officers, young Comrade Zhong had the most standard short haircut for a good student. His hair grew a bit longer while he was in school, but the length was limited, making him look like a well-behaved child.

2024/5/20

Everyone’s Favorite Fruits

This year’s Married Couple Day on 520* has arrived, so let’s write about everyone’s favorite fruits ☆

*The number 520 when pronounced in Chinese is very similar to [wǒ ài nǐ] (我爱你) I love you. Due to this, it has become a day in China called “Internet Valentine’s Day”.

Congratulations to the couple from [Full Server First Kill] for entering the happy married zone (*/ω＼*)

Yin Ren: [Apple]

There were wild apples in the mountains too, mostly small and sour, pecked at by birds and full of pits, so Yin Ren rarely ate them. The villagers of Yin Village weren’t wealthy, and any palatable fruits had long been dug up and cultivated by the villagers. The remaining fruits were either bitter or poisonous, with a fishy, astringent taste.

But the villagers would offer him sweet and delicious apples, the aroma of which was absent in mountain fruits and less cloying than cold pastries. Yin Ren always saved them for last.

After waking up in the modern world, Yin Ren was surprised to find that apples could be prepared in so many ways—apple chips, candied apples, apple soda, apple jam desserts, baked apples, and more.

The Ghost King, who was used to eating raw and cold food, now enjoyed them immensely.

※ “Apples have a lively, festive feel!” Yin Ren said, crunching on a candied apple.

Zhong Chengshuo: [Apple]

That was the first bite of food Zhong Chengshuo tasted in the human world. Strictly speaking, his action couldn’t be called eating, nor was his sense of taste normal. But this act of taking food into his body through a crack, coupled with the food’s strange flavor, deeply shocked the bizarre black rabbit.

Later, the words spoken unintentionally by the Great Celestial Master were taken as a wish. Ever since Zhong Chengshuo started living on his own, his fridge never lacked fresh apples, and there was always a bright red one on his table.

Zhong Chengshuo attributed his preference for apples to a kind of “imprinting”—in more ways than one.

Apples are the best fruit. Zhong Chengshuo firmly believed this—fresh apples and apple juice were his favorite fruit-flavored foods. It wasn’t until he started living with Yin Ren that he began trying other forms of apples.

※ Zhong Chengshuo: “Apples are good for your health.”

~~~

“Ready?” Zhong Chengshuo asked seriously.

“Ready.” Yin Ren touched the blindfold covering his eyes, his tone equally serious.

Zhong Chengshuo took a deep breath and picked up the small plate in front of him—the dining table was neatly lined with sixteen small round plates, each holding a perfectly sliced piece of apple with a toothpick.

“Sample number one.” Zhong Chengshuo speared an apple slice and carefully brought it to Yin Ren’s mouth.

The latter bit down, quickly chewed, and swallowed. “Seven points. Next.”

“Sample number two.” Zhong Chengshuo swiftly recorded the score and picked up the second plate.

“Eight points.”

“Sample number three.”

“Ugh, this one’s tasteless… two points, no more!”

…

“Why don’t you try them yourself?” After the tasting, Yin Ren asked, biting into an apple slice.

“I’m not good at tasting, and the flavors would linger in my mouth, making it hard for me to judge objectively,” Zhong Chengshuo replied as he organized the score sheet. “You can completely absorb them without interference.”

“But the flavors I like might not be to your taste.” Yin Ren mumbled, “I don’t want you to go out of your way to accommodate me.”

“No, what you give me is always the best,” Zhong Chengshuo stated firmly.

“Always the best.”

Yin Ren blinked and broke into a bright smile.

“So are you.” He bit into a piece of fruit and pressed it against his lover’s lips.

2024/2/14

Couple’s Pajama Party

Valentine’s Day, of course, calls for a grand pajama reveal (?

And favorite intimate acts (???

~Yin Ren~

[Self-made red gauze clothing] formed from Yin Ren’s own power that’s almost imperceptible. Not that the Ghost King wants to display his majesty, he just refuses to change clothes twice a day.

※ So, does this count as naked sleeping? Yin Ren ponders.

~Zhong Chengshuo~

[Blue-striped pajama set] The ultimate standard pure cotton striped pajamas, with even more standard round buttons. Zhong Chengshuo has seven sets, changing daily. The fabric emits a clean laundry detergent scent.

[Boxer briefs] so ordinary it brings tears to your eyes. It’s surprisingly comfortable since it’s made of cotton. Comrade Xiao Zhong carefully checked all fabric parameters.

[Nightcap] A classic pointed nightcap with a pom-pom.

※ Zhong Youde once brought home an illustrated fairy tale book. After reading, the young Zhong Chengshuo firmly believed a nightcap was an essential sleep accessory.

Whether awake or asleep, skin contact enhances a person’s sense of happiness.

If possible, Zhong Chengshuo would try every means to grab a warm wing orb to keep with him. If possible, Yin Ren would try every means to stuff a warm winged orb over. Shian employees always find a suspicious black line between the two.

“Don’t bother,” Minister Fu Xingchuan tiredly says. “That’s the red thread of their marriage. Just pretend it’s so red it turned black.”

 2024/1/1

Magical Summoning Abilities

New Year’s Mysterious Magic☆ Couple Summoning Technique~10 Seconds Guaranteed~ The effect is magical, comparable to spatial teleportation!

Yin Ren’s magic: Release a winged orb near Zhong Chengshuo.

Magic effect: The orb will be accurately captured by Zhong Chengshuo, firmly embraced.

※ “I captured him,” Yin Ren confidently states.

Zhong Chengshuo’s magic: Place a plate of freshly fried chicken in a ventilated area of the house.

Magic effect: Within three seconds, Yin Ren appears next to the fried chicken.

※ For some reason, the health expert Comrade Xiao Zhong’s cooking skills for fried chicken keeps getting better and better.

2023/10/31

Got A Pumpkin

~Yin Ren’s Pumpkin~

“Zhong Ge, let’s go out and play!” Yin Ren suggested joyfully. “Many people are dressing up strangely today. We can’t lose out.”

He got a particularly large pumpkin, hollowed it out meticulously, then stuffed Yellow Millet inside. The Great Celestial Master reverted to his usual red attire and sat on the pumpkin. The Yellow Millet pumpkin began to sway and flew up.

“Look, it can even glow manually!”

Yin Ren flew around the room, patting the pumpkin. Yellow Millet let out a puff and a light appeared inside the pumpkin.

“Very impressive,” Zhong Chengshuo said seriously. “Will Shian be okay with this?”

“Don’t worry, everyone will think it’s a magic prop.”

“Well…um…can I sit on it?”

“Of course!”

※: Zhong Chengshuo was on edge, ready to answer questions. But to his surprise, everyone indeed thought it was a magic prop.

~Zhong Chengshuo’s Pumpkin~

Zhong Chengshuo stared at the pumpkin on the table for almost ten minutes.

Yin Ren’s costume was all set, but he had no ideas. Comrade Xiao Zhong had always lacked experience in “going against the norm”.

Yin Ren said it should be weird… Yin Ren said it should be a bit scary… The theme was pumpkin…

That evening when they went out, Zhong Chengshuo was dressed as usual, but with an orange-red pumpkin the size of a fist on his head.

Facing Yin Ren’s puzzled gaze, Zhong Chengshuo firmly stated, “I put the pumpkin on my head, then control my muscles and movements, so it won’t fall…weird, scary, and the theme is pumpkin.”

Yin Ren reached out and adjusted the pumpkin slightly, then suddenly kissed Zhong Chengshuo’s cheek. The latter blushed slightly causing his body to move a bit, but his head remained as steady as if nailed in the air.

Yin Ren: “…Pfft!”

Yin Ren: “Trust me, you’ll be a hit!”

※: It was crowded at night. With Zhong Chengshuo’s odd maneuver of keeping his head stationary while dodging with his body, he successfully made a dozen people scream.

2023/10/04

Late Mid-Autumn Festival? National Day? Short joke~(*/ω＼*)

Everyone’s Belongings

Yin Ren’s personal items:

◆ Shian Employee ID: A very important identification card, the sad label of a wage worker.

※ Even more importantly, wearing it grants access to Shian’s cafeteria!

◆ Dog Thing: Serving both as a mobile phone and pseudo-AI, Yin Ren sometimes delegates some trivial text work to it.

※ Even though it’s a metaphysical life form with research value, it acts just like ChatGPT…

◆ Gold ring: A wedding ring and undoubtedly Yin Ren’s most treasured item over the past few thousand years.

※ He secretly takes it off to admire it during idle times and occasionally flaunts it to some lost spirits.

~Zhong Chengshuo’s personal items~

◆ Shian Employee ID: A very important identity proof, a waiver for certain research activities.

※ Yin Ren secretly drew a black rabbit wearing glasses on the back of Zhong Chengshuo’s ID.

◆ Red baseball cap: When wandering in unfamiliar environments and eating out with Yin Ren, sometimes it’s necessary to cover Yin Ren’s overly conspicuous face.

※ It’s strange, Yin Ren looks like a trendy store model when wearing it, but when he wears it, he’s often teased by Huang Jin for resembling a psychotic killer. Maybe it’s because of the look in his eyes?

◆ Gold ring: A wedding ring, a testament to a blissful marriage.

※ Every morning when Zhong Chengshuo wakes up, he can’t help but gaze at the ring for a few seconds. He cherishes the warm feeling it brings.

2023/08/22

Qixi Scheduled! Perfect to rate everyone’s culinary skills~☆

~Yin Ren’s Culinary Skills~

Overall rating: ★☆

Strengths: Edible and not bad.

Weaknesses: Loves to explore new things… uh, you have to give an ancient evil(?) time to learn…

※ Zhong Chengshuo: “Don’t add too much oyster sauce and soy sauce at the same time… Ah, don’t add more salt…”

~Zhong Chengshuo’s Culinary Skills~

Overall rating: ★★★☆

Strengths: Excellent learning ability, inherited the true essence of Father Zhong’s kitchen.

Weaknesses: Overly focuses on health, often at the expense of flavor.

※ “I will definitely corrupt him!” Yin Ren is very determined.

2023/05/30

Indulging in “Tears of the Kingdom” led to postponement of the mini… A small corner of everyone’s daily life!

Two sets of changeable clothes, a laptop, a power bank, disinfectants, energy bars, an umbrella, an emergency light, a compass, climbing rope…

Zhong Chengshuo stood by the bed, repeatedly confirming the items in his suitcase while ticking them off on his phone’s memo. Yin Ren had just taken a hot shower and was walking out, drying his hair with a towel. Seeing the increasingly absurd content of the luggage, he remained silent, unusually, for a couple of seconds.

“Zhong Ge, we’re just going to the neighboring city.”

“I know,” Zhong Chengshuo answered seriously.

“And it’s not a business trip, or a battle. We’re just going on vacation.”

“I know.”

“There’s currently no threat to us. If there’s any emergency, we can instantly go straight home using the gaps.”

“I know.” Zhong Chengshuo’s tone remained unchanged.

“So why is there climbing rope?” Yin Ren tried to maintain his smile. They were merely planning to attend a music festival in another city. But by Zhong Chengshuo’s packing, it seemed like they were embarking on a dangerous mission in the wilderness.

“This is my first time actively deciding to travel.”

“So?”

“It’s not for sampling, not a mission taken by ‘King Yama’, and not for Shian’s work,” Zhong Chengshuo elaborated. “Last time I traveled short distance, an authority provided clear advice. This time, there’s none.”

“So, you’re packing based on the last trip?”

“Last time was a spring outing organized by my elementary school.” Zhong Chengshuo might as well have written “Are you sure?” on his face.

Yin Ren: “…Let’s just forget about that.”

“You haven’t been to a music festival either. It’s a completely new experience, so we need to be fully prepared.”

Yin Ren picked up the hefty climbing rope and weighed it in his hand. “Hmm, let’s look at it from a different perspective.”

Zhong Chengshuo paused in his packing.

“You’ve played those games where you’re limited in starting equipment, right?” Yin Ren said persuasively. “Consider this a challenge, an adventure with limited items. It’s so exciting! This is truly a new experience.”

Even if they were managing their own luggage, Yin Ren didn’t want to see such absurd items in his sight. For heaven’s sake, they were going to have fun!

Zhong Chengshuo furrowed his brows, clearly pondering the suggestion. After about half a minute, he nodded, and began to repack.

Problem solved. Yin Ren quickly pecked Zhong Chengshuo’s cheek, sighing in relief. “I’ll go blow dry my hair.”

The next day, Yin Ren stared in disbelief at the bulging suitcase before him.

“Didn’t we agree yesterday…”

“I indeed didn’t bring the climbing rope,” Zhong Chengshuo earnestly clarified.

“……”

Yin Ren slowly covered his face.

‘This must be what they call the “marital adjustment phase”,’ he thought.

<<< || Table of Contents ||

Evil As Humans Ch249 [End]

Kinky9 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 249: Daily Exercise

Yin Ren looked at Zhong Chengshuo’s face with great interest.

Zhong Chengshuo’s features remained the same. He currently wasn’t wearing glasses, dressed in a long black robe, and his temporary long hair was loosely tied at the back of his head. At a glance, he didn’t look like a science post but rather like some wicked creature dug out of a coffin.

It had been twelve years since the Divine Descent, but Zhong Chengshuo’s physical age hadn’t continued to increase. According to Zhong Chengshuo himself, this was probably related to his awakened “God” ability. In the first few years, it was manageable, but when they had to go on missions, the two of them had to undergo certain disguises—

Beside Zhong Chengshuo, who had lost his glasses, Yin Ren’s long hair was transformed into short hair, and his red eyes were covered with a layer of brown. This person now looked like an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old, dressed in a red pullover, exuding a youthful vibe that shouldn’t exist.

Their appearances hadn’t changed much, and they couldn’t fool familiar faces. However, it was more than enough for a joint investigation with Shian.

Just a few days ago, Yandu had initiated a collaboration request.

A highly dangerous group of evil beings had appeared in a cave on the outskirts of Yandu. The interior of the cave was complex, with numerous branching paths, and they didn’t have enough experts to handle it. Coincidentally, the Haigu Branch was dealing with a major case and desperately wished they had eight hands each. The department heads couldn’t leave, so the two troublemakers became the best choice.

At this moment, the two troublemakers were sitting in a corner of the cave, taking a rest. It didn’t take long for two young special agents to approach them.

“This is our first time participating in a joint investigation. We haven’t seen you before, Linnan… No, the Haigu Branch, right?” The girl with short hair asked curiously.

“Are you a corpse servant? The corpse is well-preserved, just like a living person.” A bald young man pointed to Zhong Chengshuo.

Comrade Xiao Zhong had always had an expressionless face, but without his glasses to buffer it, his black eyes became somewhat intimidating. Sitting properly in the corner, he did seem lifeless.

Yin Ren suppressed his smile and coughed. Zhong Chengshuo slowly turned his head and extended a stiff hand towards the bald man. The bald man shook hands in response and exclaimed, “Can a corpse shake hands? …Holy shit, it’s warm?!”

He stumbled in place, almost falling.

“We are indeed from the Haigu Branch. Call me Xiao Yin, and this is my partner, Zhong Ge,” Yin Ren introduced seriously. “He has a rather special sense of humor.”

Zhong Chengshuo nodded in agreement with a serious expression.

The bald man rubbed the goosebumps on his body. “Oh… by the way, it’s my first time working with the Haigu Branch. I haven’t seen the department head in person yet.”

“Something happened, and there isn’t enough manpower,” Yin Ren said truthfully.

“We are partners from the Yandu Branch; our names and ranks are here.” The girl with short hair patted her chest, where her name tag was. “It’s a pity. I heard that the minister of the Haigu Branch is particularly formidable. I haven’t seen them in person yet.”

“Which minister? I remember Haigu has two senior departments,” the bald man interjected.

“It must be Director Huang from the Emergency Management Department. I remember the Special Management Department of Haigu isn’t allowed to go on missions… but I’ve heard that the two ministers of the Special Management Department are very strong, and they’re both women.” The girl with short hair showed a fascinated expression.

“Yes, they are indeed strong.”

Yin Ren recalled Lu Xiaohe roaring at him and Ge Tingting constantly challenging him to practice—ever since the higher-ups at Haigu found out about his identity, only the members of Special Investigation Unit 9 dared to treat him like that.

“Speaking of which, it would be great if Director Huang could come,” the girl with short hair sighed. “Xiao Yin, have you met him? I heard from a friend at Haigu that Director Huang is handsome and has a special melancholic aura.”

Yin Ren: “…He is quite melancholic.” Probably because he hadn’t submitted his resignation for ten years.

During private gatherings of the former Special Investigation Unit 9, Huang Jin would start crying when he drank too much.

He would cry about wanting to provide the best support for his wife and needing to earn money. Then he would cry about wanting to give his wife and child a top-tier life, and he still needed to earn money. As time passed, the tearful Huang Jin became a minister, but he never managed to resign successfully—his “God summoning” ability was so rare that the higher-ups arranged an elite detective as his partner for the science post just to deal with his file issues.

At this rate, Minister Huang would definitely be working until retirement.

“Well, I thought I could see Minister Huang this time…”

“Isn’t our Minister Fu good enough?” The bald man glanced at his own partner. “That Huang is almost forty, while Minister Fu is in his early thirties. It’s obvious who has the advantage.”

“Not the same.” The girl with short hair vigorously shook her head. “Our Minister Fu has too strong of an aura, as if he had seen the world. He feels like an old man in his eighties or nineties, just one step away from reaching enlightenment.”

Zhong Chengshuo, who was reading a book on his phone, lifted his head at the sound, and a trace of astonishment flashed across his face.

“People can change so much?” he whispered in a low voice.

His impression of Fu Tianyi was still stuck on the arrogant youth who liked to pick fights.

“It’s probably some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder,” Yin Ren casually remarked. “We caused him quite a lot of trauma.”

“Really?”

“Just a guess…”

The two of them hadn’t finished whispering when the cave suddenly trembled. Rocks fell from the ceiling, creating a clattering sound and kicking up countless dust. Bone-chilling cold air blew out from the depths of the cave, and mist crawled along the ground, gradually engulfing the feet of the people present.

In the dark corners at both ends of the cave, hundreds of red lights lit up one by one. The fierce spirits almost materialized, causing a suffocating sensation even from a far distance, as if they were being swallowed by a swamp.

“What’s going on?! With so few people assigned, isn’t this route relatively safe?” The bald man’s face turned pale.

“They’re targeting the team with fewer people first. Maybe it’s highly intelligent evil spirits,” the girl with short hair said with a serious expression as she tapped her earpiece. “Hey, Minister, anomaly in corridor 31! Requesting backup!”

“What’s the situation?” Fu Tianyi’s voice came from the other end of the earpiece.

“There are confirmed to be over a hundred high-level evil spirits surrounding us. In the team, there are 8 people from Yandu, 2 from Haigu, and 2 from Linnan. Requesting backup!”

There was silence on the other end of the earpiece.

“Minister?”

“You just said there are two people from Haigu?” Fu Tianyi’s voice carried a strange numbness.

“Yes, Xiao Yin and Xiao Zhong…”

“Then it’s fine.” Fu Tianyi dryly laughed. “Take care of it yourselves. Even if I die, nothing will happen to you guys.”

“What—” Before the girl with short hair could finish her sentence, her body swayed.

In an instant, only two out of the twelve members of the team were left standing. The others lay scattered on the ground in various positions, sound asleep. Only the girl with short hair managed to prop herself up, panting heavily. “What… happened… Why did you suddenly… attack your teammates…”

“Yandu indeed has talented individuals. Ordinary spells can’t knock them out.” Crouching down, Yin Ren patted the girl with short hair on the head. “You must be a high-level science post, with a promising future.”

“You guys…”

Yin Ren smiled faintly; his brown eyes fading to crimson. “Anyway, that kid Fu Tianyi will handle the aftermath. Just don’t run around.”

The girl with short hair lifted her eyelids and stared intently at the two “traitors”.

Yin Ren didn’t say anything more. He took out an old-fashioned mobile phone and entered something on the screen. The next moment, two figures clad in red and white robes, exuding a dense aura of blood, appeared beside him. They were wrapped in black chains, floating in mid-air.

The girl with short hair swallowed nervously. She knew how exceptional she was, and if she, as an outstanding science post, could see them, then they must be extremely dangerous fierce spirits with physical forms.

And those two young specters, covered in multiple layers of chains, were clearly…

“Xiang Jiang, Xiang Hai. Protect all living beings and do not fail.” Yin Ren’s voice turned extremely cold. A wave of pressure surged through the cave, causing even the distant swarm of evil spirits to retreat.

“Yes,” one of the ghosts responded indifferently.

Yin Ren snorted and turned around.

“Zhong Ge, let’s see who can catch more,” he said to Zhong Chengshuo, his eyes shining with a playful smile, as if the previous pressure was just an illusion.

“I’ll take this side,” Zhong Chengshuo said while holding a dagger in his right hand and the Karma Lantern in his left. His long hair slid down, almost covering half of his face, and he fumbled for two seconds, which was rare for him.

“Then I’ll choose this side. The loser cleans up.” Yin Ren tugged on the Yellow Millet pendant hanging from his phone and winked at Zhong Chengshuo. “Get ready—begin!”

The two of them turned into two blurry figures and instantly merged into the darkness.

The girl with short hair: “…”

The following scene was more like a one-sided slaughter than a battle.

In less than two seconds, the murmurs of the evil spirits turned into screams, and neither group of evil beings dared to approach the center. With the flying flesh and blood of the evil spirits, they fled in opposite directions, leaving trails of urine and excrement in their wake. The two individuals completely disregarded their partner’s combat techniques and chased after them alone. The nearby mist dissipated rapidly, and all she could see were the red lights growing further and further away.

What’s going on? Weren’t they partners? Can science posts really charge into the frontline like this? …She couldn’t understand. Which one of them was the science post!

The cave quickly returned to tranquility. Near the unconscious teammates, there were only two ghosts floating silently.

She suddenly felt that it would be better to faint. This must all be an illusion. She had seen Minister Fu personally in battle, and these two guys had surpassed the capabilities of humans.

Unfortunately, before the girl with short hair could faint, those two things, which she didn’t know what they were, returned.

“518,” Yin Ren announced with excitement.

He lazily leaned on Yellow Millet; his clothes without a speck of dirt.

“517.” Zhong Chengshuo gestured.

“That’s not all. You definitely hid some samples,”

Zhong Chengshuo grabbed the tips of his hair and averted his gaze.

“Quickly tell me where you hid them. I’ll cover for you later.” Yin Ren squeezed Zhong Chengshuo’s face with both hands. “Fu Tianyi isn’t like Fu Xingchuan. He’s very indecisive in this aspect. With so many people here, we need to be prepared in advance.”

“Um, we shouldn’t break the rules together… I can handle it myself…” Zhong Chengshuo struggled to speak.

“I’ve talked to Fu Xingchuan. There won’t be a problem. Shian won’t be able to confiscate them.” Yin Ren increased the strength in his hands.

“Fu Xingchuan is traveling abroad. There’s a time difference…”

“I’ll wake him up during the interval.”

Ah, it really was an illusion. The girl with short hair revealed a weak smile and successfully fainted.

In any case, the atmosphere gradually calmed down, and it was safe here.

And it would remain safe for a long time.

The author has something to say:

As usual, a small reminder: I don’t welcome comments from pirated readers who only buy the “Extra” or “Specific Chapters”. In that case, I will randomly issue warnings depending on the situation. Writing a long novel isn’t easy, so if you like it, please support the official version, where you get thousands of words for only 30 cents on the app.

——————

Thank you all for your support and understanding along the way—

This book turned out to be longer than planned, and there were three major real-life upheavals during the later stages, with battles at work and the double impact of COVID-19, which somewhat affected my writing state. There’s no other way; next time, I’ll just have to save more drafts (^ρ^)/

Actually, each book is an attempt at something new, and this one made me realize my shortcomings, so I will continue to work hard!

——————

The next book, “Full Server First Kill”, is a pseudo MMORPG-style Western fantasy adventure and leveling story. It is tentatively planned to start in the first half of the year~

Pre-orders are available in the column, so if you’re interested, you can start collecting them—

Once again, thank you for supporting the official version! See you in the next book ☆

Kinky Thoughts:

This marks the end of the novel.

I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can used Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works, especially works like this that are extremely long, well thought out, and well written. It really doesn’t cost much.

I’m quite excited to read Nian Zhong’s latest work (a throwback to Stray with western fantasy)… so I picked it up. You can read it here: Full Server First Kill.

Once again, thank you everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations.

If you have become a fan of Nian Zhong, do check out her other works that I have worked on. You won’t be disappointed.

Finally I do have one last treat. This is an extra extra from the author’s blog where she writes mini updates for her characters (usually on special holidays). It’s not officially on jjwxc, but I’ve decided to translate it. She usually updates this yearly, so check back each year on those special days for a new update.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Sendoff Ch77

Kinky6 Comments

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 77: Fireworks

New Year’s Eve in Yidu was exceptionally lively.

The streets were filled with the lingering scent of fireworks, and scraps of red paper were scattered everywhere, mixed with melted snow. From a distance, it looked like a pile of spring petals.

Every household was rushing to stock up on goods for the final day. The fragrances of cakes, sweets, nuts, and roasted snacks permeated the air, as people crowded the streets, trampling on the remnants of snow. The atmosphere in the streets and alleys was lively, and even the cold of early spring couldn’t freeze the excitement.

Celebrating New Year’s was a tradition that existed even before the founding of Great Yun, and even though the people later worshiped the Imperial Celestial, the festive atmosphere didn’t diminish.

Outside the Imperial Preceptor’s residence, lanterns were also hung up in line with the prevailing custom. Behind the crimson gate, there was no trace of a festive atmosphere.

As a loyal follower of the Imperial Celestial, the atmosphere of celebration in Jiang Youyue’s residence was practically nonexistent. However, the Imperial Preceptor had always been magnanimous and didn’t interfere with the people’s self-celebration. He didn’t care if a maid put on festive hairpins or if a servant wore new clothes.

He had few concerns, and Shi Jingzhi’s whereabouts were the most important among them.

“So he did go to the Mishan Sect. What’s the situation over there?”

Jiang Youyue tended to the bonsai on the shrine, calmly listening to the report from his subordinate.

“He made contact with Chen Qianfan of the Mishan Sect.”

“Chen Qianfan? That’s a character. Back then, he nosed around everywhere and almost discovered the location of the Ghost Tomb… Hm, it’s not surprising that he sought out Chen Qianfan after returning from Huilian Mountain. It seems that the boy is very interested in the ban.”

The subordinate, also dressed in ceremonial attire and wearing a mask of worship, spoke.

“We just don’t know if he intends to break the ban or seal away his memories. The Mishan Sect prefers to have limited direct contact with outsiders. Master, if we intervene recklessly, it may arouse suspicion.”

Jiang Youyue carefully pruned the bonsai’s unruly branches before slowly turning around. “It doesn’t matter. If he intends to break the formation, the Mishan Sect doesn’t need to intervene for us to find out.”

“The Queen of Milan’s Arcane Arts is still in the North. If Jingzhi were to break it and uncover the clues—”

“So what if he discovers something? Remember, this matter depends on his destiny. We just need to wait quietly for the outcome. If he bears a heavenly mission, then we can intervene. If he is just another ‘problem’, we will deal with it as we have in the past.”

The young subordinate hesitated to speak.

“Master, this disciple still believes that while success depends on fate, planning is necessary. The Queen of Milan was intelligent and resourceful, while Yan Budu was proud and talented. Both of them tended towards perfection but stopped at the final step. As for Shi Jingzhi…”

“There’s no need to worry needlessly. Let’s discuss it again in a few days. If he truly intends to break the ban, I will tell you then. How about the progress with his disciple? Have you found anything?”

“There is nothing significant at the moment.”

“Hmm, let’s keep an eye on it. As long as the ‘Great Ban’ in the northwest is still there, even if Shi Jingzhi takes King Yan as his disciple, it won’t change his fate.”

“Yes.”

A thousand miles away, in the desolate North.

The group returned to Chen Qianfan’s residence, and the sky had completely darkened.

Chen Qianfan sat down on a stool and poured himself a pot of hot tea. He rubbed his beard, and it took a while for Shi Jingzhi’s words to register in his ears. “Huh? You said you want to break the ban?”

“…Yes.” Shi Jingzhi’s tone was quite solemn.

“Well, you’re quite in line with my temperament, kid. But in that case, things will be a bit difficult. If you just want to make a disaster warding talisman for that girl, cutting off a piece of corpse will be enough. But to break the ban, you’ll need at least three ancient corpses.”

Chen Qianfan grumbled as he stood up and pounded his old waist.

“The arrangement of the formation for breaking the ban is also quite troublesome. Ah, come to think of it, it’s quite a hassle. It’ll take at least ten days to finish…”

Shi Jingzhi: “Senior Chen, I’ve been wanting to ask, why is it necessary to use ancient corpses as materials? Are there any alternative substitutes?”

Chen Qianfan glanced at him and then spoke slowly.

“Whenever it comes to spells and magic formations, you need the bodies of monsters as materials for casting them. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Some living creatures naturally possess much greater qi than others, and they are called ‘monsters’ in the world. In fact, the world is filled with spiritual qi, and some living creatures naturally absorb more qi, resulting in their transformation into monsters. When a monster dies and its body decays into mud, it still contains abundant qi. Based on this, spells can be cast. The more intelligent the monster, the better the effect of its corpse.”

Chen Qianfan slowly flipped through his record book.

“The same principle applies to humans. Humans are also living creatures, and they possess the most abundant qi. That’s why I need the ancient corpses from that Arcane Arts.”

No wonder Chen Qianfan said he was “good material”.

“That’s right. The ancient corpses in that Arcane Arts are excellent ‘monsters’ and the most effective materials for casting spells. However, it is taboo to kill people for materials, which is the first iron rule of the Mishan Sect. So, I can only use human corpses.”

With that, Chen Qianfan smiled meaningfully.

“In this world, there are no rootless trees or water without source. Spells and magic formations, which go against the natural order, have an effect that is only fifty percent efficient and consume at least three times the energy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have spent thirty years studying the immortal body.”

Shi Jingzhi fell into contemplation, and Yin Ci lowered his gaze, remaining silent.

However, this subtle atmosphere didn’t last long.

Shi Zhongyu didn’t have the leisure to ponder magical theories. Ever since she heard, “It’ll take at least ten days to finish,” a worried expression appeared on her face.

She could wait, but her sect couldn’t. If they delayed for another ten days, there was a possibility that she wouldn’t be able to make it in time for the Seventh Day after the funeral of the sect leader of Taiheng.

Shi Jingzhi noticed her anxious gaze. “It will only take a few days to obtain the corpse pieces. Human lives are at stake. Miss Shi, you should return to Taiheng first.”

Shi Zhongyu didn’t take advantage of the situation. “In that case, how will Sect Master Shi return to the Central Plains?”

“I’ll make an arrangement with Miss Shi for half a month. I’ll send my disciple to assist you in obtaining the materials. After half a month, Miss Shi will come back with the Arrow Horses to pick us up. How does that sound?”

Shi Zhongyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a hint of gratitude appeared in her expression. “Thank you, Sect Master Shi.”

Su Si hugged Lord Bai tightly, his complexion almost as pale as the goose’s feathers. “Do we have to stay here for another half a month?”

This place was barren, with nothing but snow outside the window. Su Si had only been here for one day, and he felt completely idle. On top of that, Yan Qing’s sword practice had reached a state of obsession, and no matter where he practiced, he would lose himself in it. After joining the Kushan Sect, his days became increasingly desolate.

Shi Zhongyu quickly mediated, saying, “Our sect has a temporary resting point in Twin Rivers. I will have someone waiting there early. We won’t actually be delayed for half a month.”

Su Si sighed. “I’m not targeting Senior Shi… Sect Master. Today is New Year’s Eve. If we calculate like this, we won’t be able to enter the city until before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month?”

Shi Jingzhi: “…”

Shi Jingzhi turned pale with shock. “New Year’s Eve is already here? Wasn’t it supposed to be seven or eight more days?”

It wasn’t surprising that Sect Master Shi didn’t realize it. With just the master and disciple of the Kushan Sect, one facing a life-and-death decision and the other already living without knowing which day it was, they almost forgot that there were still joyful events in the world. Only Su Si, with his carefree nature, remained alert.

Moreover, Chen Qianfan’s place lacked any festive atmosphere. It was to be expected, as Chen Qianfan had the appearance of a carefree recluse. He wouldn’t pay attention to any of that.

Poor Su Si had been crawling and struggling at the bottom of the martial world. He longed for a bit of festivity in his daily life, but now he couldn’t even hear a single firecracker.

Granny Wei came forward to refill the tea, and upon hearing this, she smiled and said, “There are so many young people here. Why don’t we celebrate New Year’s as well? I’ll make a couple more dishes for dinner. I even sewed a new jacket, but Mr. Chen doesn’t like wearing it…”

Chen Qianfan stroked his bread a few times and said indifferently, “It’s up to you. I don’t care.”

‘Anyway, he will forget everything by tomorrow,’ Yin Ci thought.

He looked at Shi Jingzhi, knowing that his cheap master loved lively events. He happened to be facing a decision that concerned his life so he certainly wouldn’t want to miss such a festival.

Sure enough, Shi Jingzhi’s serious expression disappeared.

He walked a few steps and stood in front of Su Si, saying earnestly, “So what if we can’t enter the city? How can our sect not celebrate New Year’s?”

Seeing Shi Jingzhi’s expression, Yin Ci finally felt relieved. “Yan Qing, go decorate the room, and I’ll help Granny Wei prepare the food.”

Granny Wei’s eyes became a little moist, and she became almost jubilant. “Good, good. We still have some leftover flower petals from a few days ago. I’ll use them to dye some paper and make paper-cut window decorations. Oh, New Year’s should be lively.”

Chen Qianfan snorted a few times but didn’t say anything.

Anyway, they had to play with the Arcane Arts at daybreak, so they might as well do something at night, which would be considered a combination of work and rest.

Although Shi Jingzhi wasn’t the type to shy away from anything, unfortunately, his role in this matter was equivalent to that of Lord Bai. Shi Jingzhi, as the sect master, couldn’t contribute much and was assigned to observe Chen Qianfan’s research on magical arts—even Su Si, who could mince meat, could at least help with making dumplings.

Whether it was due to self-awareness or simply laziness, Shi Jingzhi remained silent and walked past the boundary in the front hall, plunging into the chaotic side. In no time, Sect Master Shi and Elder Chen were whispering to each other, even getting physical.

Yin Ci carefully watched for a moment, making sure there was no trace of gloom on Shi Jingzhi’s face, before withdrawing his gaze.

Throughout the journey back, he felt that Shi Jingzhi had gained an unusual heaviness, but perhaps this was just his imagination.

Time passed quickly.

They hadn’t planned for an extravagant New Year’s celebration; just a festive atmosphere would suffice. Unexpectedly, just as they finished decorating the windows and cooking the dumplings, Shi Jingzhi, who had initiated the whole thing, left Chen Qianfan’s side and went out alone.

Yin Ci patted off the flour from his hands and followed along openly.

Shi Jingzhi’s emotions had been unstable regarding life and death matters. At this moment, when it was the liveliest time in the mortal realm, he was left in the northern region, carrying an unknown amount of pressure on his shoulders. It wasn’t impossible for him to lose control.

He had to keep a close eye on Shi Jingzhi.

Outside the door, the accumulated snow remained a dull blue, covering the ground and spreading to the horizon. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and sporadic snowflakes fell, obscuring the stars and moon.

Shi Jingzhi stood in the windowless room, surrounded by emptiness, and turned to look at Yin Ci. “A’Ci, you really followed me.”

Yin Ci didn’t tease him. “Your decision isn’t insignificant, and it is difficult for ordinary people to make such a choice. Who knows how the addiction will act up? From what I know, someone is an expert in self-harm.”

“I promised you that I would no longer harm myself.” Shi Jingzhi wasn’t annoyed. “As your master, when I make a promise, I keep it.”

Yin Ci stared at him for a moment. “If you want some peace and quiet…”

“No, stay here. Don’t go anywhere.”

Shi Jingzhi smiled sincerely.

“This might be my last New Year, and I really want to celebrate it properly. Tomorrow, on the first day of the first lunar month, we’ll start studying the Arcane Arts. It’s also in line with the occasion.”

Yin Ci didn’t respond to his playful remark. “Stop talking nonsense. Next year, I’ll take you to Yidu to celebrate the New Year. They have the liveliest lantern festival there.”

Shi Jingzhi’s gaze gradually softened. “Alright, Master approves.”

Immediately after, he exhaled heavily and took out an object from his pocket.

“But we should still celebrate this New Year properly. A’Ci, watch closely.”

With a flicker of flame, he ignited something with a sizzling sound.

Then, that thing exploded directly in Shi Jingzhi’s arms.

Yin Ci’s scalp went numb in an instant, almost startled to the point of exploding as well. That explosive force was no joke. If things went wrong, half of his face might have been blown to pieces.

His mind reacted before his body. He swiftly moved to grab Shi Jingzhi. This time, he didn’t have time to coordinate his movements, and his qinggong didn’t look too graceful. It even seemed a bit awkward.

“Just when I said no self-harm, are you trying to commit suicide to show me?”

Yin Ci anxiously checked for injuries, almost about to roar.

As the thick smoke dispersed, Shi Jingzhi’s face was blackened by the fumes, but his skin remained unscathed. Yin Ci finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to see him smiling innocently.

“You—”

There was a sharp crack.

In the silent night sky, a golden light soared from Shi Jingzhi’s arms, shooting up into the sky, then exploding into a dazzling display of golden fireworks. Golden sparks scattered beneath the dark clouds, momentarily illuminating the sky, and the familiar scent of fireworks filled the air.

It was a rough firework, imposing and dazzling.

“I’ve seen people do it in Yidu. I won’t hurt myself. But since it’s the first time, I wanted to test the effect. I knew A’Ci would follow me, so I secretly wanted to show it to you.”

Shi Jingzhi chuckled.

“Do you care about me that much?”

This little brat even knew how to imitate him. Yin Ci released the other’s wrist with a stern face. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Shi Jingzhi’s gaze became complicated.

Although the mysteries grew heavier, the grudge he held in his heart about his dusty fate dissipated completely at this moment.

Yin Ci still hadn’t told him the reasons behind revealing his identity to Shi Zhongyu today. With their shared secret now public, there was indeed a trace of melancholy remaining in Shi Jingzhi’s heart.

However, now it seemed that Shi Zhongyu was different from him—

Perhaps Yin Ci himself wasn’t aware of it. In that instant when the fireworks ignited, Yin Ci was far from being composed and lacked the demeanor of an elder. Unlike the time in the forbidden area, he lost that air of superiority and leaped away in a clumsy, panicked manner.

In just a moment, Shi Jingzhi’s heart seemed to stop, and in the vast world, only the faint sound of the fireworks bursting remained.

Perhaps Yin Ci would never know.

He would never know what kind of solace he had received on this lonely, cold night amidst countless dark unknowns.

Suddenly, Shi Jingzhi wasn’t so afraid anymore.

The author has something to say:

Remember to be safe when setting off fireworks! Don’t imitate Fox Shi; it’s not safe—

Demonic Lord Yin: Indeed.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Criminal Psychology Ch295

Kinky1 Comment

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 295

The two leaders quickly returned to the conversation after reading about the Borna virus. They knew very little about the Darna Rainforest, yet their faces turned pale with a sense of foreboding.

“Commander Xing, if it weren’t for the recent vote, I’d think you were joking with us.”

“Even with the vote, I’d still think you were joking,” said the other.

“Isn’t the drug enough? Now there’s a virus?”

“How did they get such strong scientific research capabilities?”

“Is this a real existing virus or something out of a fictional novel?”

“Is this scientific?”

The two of them went back and forth.

At this point, a corner of the laptop that Wang Chao was holding flashed. He received an email from a virology expert. He clicked to open it, took a quick glance, and urgently called out, “Boss.”

Xing Conglian turned his head. Wang Chao handed him the laptop, and they both read the entire reply. The letter mentioned several points:

First, The Borna virus does indeed exist.

Second, the materials on the other party’s server come from related literature reviews, which means that every sentence in it can be traced.

Third, However, just because there is evidence doesn’t mean it’s scientific truth. The research on the Borna virus is still very preliminary, and there’s a lot of debate. The material glosses over the opponents’ viewpoints.

When Wang Chao saw this, he felt that the situation was indeed more dangerous than they had imagined.

Xing Conglian also looked up at the same time and said to the two people in the video call, “I’ll answer your two questions. First, I’m not joking. Secondly, the Borna virus does indeed exist.”

Once Xing Conglian said this, both inside and outside the video, everything fell silent. In the video, the two leaders were tongue-tied and found it hard to form sentences.

But since they were elite police forces, they quickly made a judgment by combining existing materials with the key location pointed out by Xing Conglian. Suppressing their inner horror, they spoke calmly.

“The Dana Region has poor medical and health conditions, making it the perfect breeding ground for certain viruses.”

“And the Doctors Without Borders organization, rooted in the rainforest, is the biggest enemy of virus spread.”

“The Republic of Angodo, which borders the Dana rainforest, has gradually improved its health conditions, forming a protective wall against the spread of disease, which is not allowed.”

“This is why they target insurance companies and Doctors Without Borders.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Chao took a deep breath.

The grand plan involved too many considerations and small schemes.

They were careful and discreet, making all motives twist and turn, so it was hard for people to detect the hidden truth behind them.

Therefore, was there anything they overlooked in the matter of Zhourui Pharmaceutical?

Wang Chao looked at Xing Conglian, remembering the unprecedented and incomprehensible acquisition case, and was momentarily lost for words. “Boss, Zhourui…”

Xing Conglian seemed to understand everything at once, and his face showed a look of realization. “The old man said that Zhourui is one of the world’s largest vaccine and blood product manufacturers. They probably want to make a move in this area.”

The morning sun had already risen outside the building, but Wang Chao had never felt colder than he did today.

He looked at the glowing sun and couldn’t help but feel dazzled. He was very tired, having not slept for almost three days and nights.

He was struggling to keep up with the fast pace of the discussion and wanted to stop and chat about the virus in a more casual manner.

He wanted to scream out “Fuck, this is too terrifying!”.

He wanted his boss to give him a playful smack on the head and tell him to shut up. Even such a brief exchange could relieve his current mental pressure.

But now, there was no time.

The leaders, whether in front of him or beside him, didn’t show any signs of panic or fatigue.

They were determined and rational, as if they had not been affected at all.

Each person was doing their best in the area they excelled in, maintaining a high level of concentration and gritting their teeth to persevere.

“But isn’t this a bit too roundabout? If there is a virus, directly dropping it in a densely populated area would surely cause more damage, wouldn’t it?”

Wang Chao subconsciously looked at the computer screen and noticed the heavy red veins in the eyes of the two leaders in the video call.

He bit the flesh in his mouth, forcing himself to refocus. After thinking about it, this was indeed a very poignant question.

His boss didn’t need any of these measures to maintain focused attention and high-speed brain operation. Just glancing at the reply letter written by the virologist, he responded fluently, “The research on the BDV virus is only in its initial stage. What it is, how it infects humans, how it spreads among humans, whether it necessarily leads to schizophrenia—all these are uncertain.”

The two people in the video quickly understood. “The material turns some possibilities into inevitabilities.”

Xing Conglian nodded.

But the two team leaders didn’t feel noticeably relieved. “This also means that perhaps they have made breakthrough progress in the research on the Borna virus.”

“Even if they have, it wouldn’t be too advanced,” Xing Conglian said. “Otherwise, what we’d be facing now is an outbreak.”

“So, they took advantage of the backward medical environment of the Dana rainforest, trying to spread the virus in a primitive and slow way?” The director of the second bureau hesitated.

“Do you think it’s too far?” Xing Conglian saw through his doubt at a glance.

Xing Conglian said, “The Dana Rainforest, The Angodo Republic, who knows where—it’s too far, rarely seen on TV. People are dying there every day because of wars. If something happens, does it have anything to do with us?”

The director of the second bureau was somewhat at a loss for words. “I just feel like it’s a movie, because it’s far away, so it doesn’t feel real.”

“But if you’ve been there, you’d know that, although it’s not quite like us, there are indeed many people there who are, like us, referred to as the human species.”

“I don’t think they’re not human.”

“But that’s the advantage of hiding in backward areas.” Xing Conglian’s voice was very cold, “There, it’s not like our country or any other modern civilization country. There’s not much concept of the value of human life. There are still countless diseases spreading there, and most ordinary people’s views are: Oh, it’s so pitiful, but it’s so far away, it shouldn’t affect us.”

The two team leaders on the video call fell into deep thought.

Xing Conglian didn’t let them off. “Such a concept is inevitable from top to bottom.”

He said, “In 1976, we learned about Ebola, but it took 40 years for a handful of vaccines to enter clinical trials. Why? Of course, because it’s difficult to conquer, but in fact, the peak of vaccine research occurred after a few cases of infection occurred in developed countries. And before that, the real susceptible population was in poor and remote West Africa, where they couldn’t afford the cost of the vaccine. So, if the virus is unlikely to affect us and there is no market prospect or economic benefit, why should we pay attention to it and invest too much manpower and resources in it?”

“This is Ebola, the extremely deadly Ebola that has the same fatality rate as AIDS. Developed countries have a complete medical system and enough manpower and resources, while poor and backward areas are the best breeding grounds for deadly viruses because, for most people, it’s too far away, like a movie.”

That was what Xing Conglian said.

Wang Chao couldn’t help but feel a lump in his throat.

His boss wasn’t born with extraordinary wisdom. These views could only come from the person who had a deep understanding of these issues after a long time fighting on the front lines in the rainforest, and from that person’s dying wish.

That night, he had actually overheard some of their conversation.

Those rambling words, with a bit of roguish demand, kept ringing in his ears.

“The US’s expenditure just on maintaining nuclear submarine patrols is 120 times the entire World Health Organization’s total investment in preventing epidemic diseases.”

“But mankind is actually a community of shared future.”

“Do you have any money to donate to the medical aid organization here?”

“Do you still know any local tycoons who can invest some money in Dana, to help establish a Dana Rainforest Virus Observation Outpost?”

“If such observation points existed at the time, AIDS might not have had a chance to spread out of the African rainforests and kill tens of millions of people worldwide, so it’s quite important.”

Xing Conglian said, “No matter what happens in Dana, it’s hard to attract international attention, let alone allocate resources, send a large number of doctors, research viruses, and develop vaccines. This takes decades…”

“In those decades, the spread of the Borna virus may be enough to change mankind, and in the process, they only need to remove some minor obstacles.”

“So, our selfishness, indifference, irrelevance, and interest-first attitude would ultimately lead to their victory. What’s more mocking than this?”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>